Regional Housing Technical Assistance
RHTA Program Delivers Innovative Technical Assistance
The Regional Housing Technical Assistance (RHTA) Program provides one-of-a-kind technical assistance to support local governments in complying with rapidly evolving laws and adopting and implementing compliant Housing Elements.
The program launched in 2020 and has delivered more than 35 trainings and more than 300 pieces of technical assistance. The program’s components include shared consultant services, tools and resources, and they work together to provide holistic support for the region’s 101 cities and towns and nine counties and their elected officials and planning staff as jurisdictions update their housing plans. In 2023, the RHTA Program received an American Planning ¾«¶«´«Ã½, California Chapter – Northern Section Award of Excellence (first place) and an Award of Excellence from the California Chapter of the American Planning ¾«¶«´«Ã½.
Work products are shared statewide through the Technical Assistance Portal. Download the full index of technical assistance resources.
Technical assistance is being delivered through several components. Click on the links below to learn more.
- Interactive trainings
- County-based planning collaboratives that share consultant support
- Suballocations of REAP funding to all jurisdictions in the nine-county Bay Area
- Work Groups and Peer Cohorts for in-depth, targeted technical assistance.
- Data tools, products and resources tailored to assist in meeting state requirements.
New Products
Below are our newest products and services available to jurisdictions in the Bay Area. All materials are also available in the searchable Technical Assistance Portal.
- AB 130 and SB 131 Overview Webinar and Summary of Key Provisions.
- Updated survey questions and flyers for the ADU Affordability Survey Tool.
- Information session materials and new technical assistance resources pertaining to AB 1332 Pre-approved ADU Plans.
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Materials from the RHTA 2024 New Housing Laws Webinar, including the slide deck, video recording, a summary of new laws and a checklist for staff.
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The video recording and slides from the webinar Updates to the APR and an overview of HCD Connect.
- Housing, Density & Design Resources to support constructive conversations with residents and community leaders about residential rezonings.
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Getting Rezoning Right: Guiding principles and related resources for staff and officials working on rezoning initiatives to achieve local housing goals.
The RHTA program is funded by a state Regional Early Action Planning (REAP) grant from the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) and has saved each jurisdiction more than $30,000 by providing shared consultant services, tools and resources.
Upcoming Events
Webinar Title |
Date |
Registration Detail |
|---|---|---|
ADU workgroup session 5: Helping Homeowners Build ADUs: Putting it all Together |
October 15 @ 10:30 am |
Staff Contact
Heather Peters
Email: hpeters@bayareametro.gov
Get More Information
Sign-up for the RHTA mailing list to get additional program information.
Get Trained
¾«¶«´«Ã½has completed more than 30 training webinars to equip local planners with knowledge, tools and resources to update housing elements to meet the new state requirements. More webinars are planned. You can view recordings of past sessions and register for new ones on the RHTA Training page.
Get Tools and Resources
Visit the Data Tools & HESS page to find the HESS tool and other regional data tools to help you increase housing opportunities in your community.
Get Tailored Assistance
Recognizing that a top-down approach to the historically local issue of housing will be counterproductive, ¾«¶«´«Ã½granted nearly $5 million in RHTA funding to Bay Area counties to support Planning Collaboratives, Peer Cohorts and Work Groups to spark a culture of innovation via peer-to-peer learning, sharing of best practices and lessons learned. More information can be found on the Planning Collaboratives and Work Groups web pages.
