ABAG-MTC last week announced the release of $60 million in planning and capital grants to support local implementation of ABAG-MTC’s Transit-Oriented Communities (TOC) Policy and Climate Initiatives Program. Together, the TOC Policy and Climate Initiatives Program aim to help Bay Area cities, towns and counties make investments to improve both air quality and the quality of life for residents in their communities.
The coordinated call for projects marks a first-of-its-kind initiative for ABAG-MTC. The funds available to local governments include multiple grant and technical assistance programs being administered simultaneously to help applicants coordinate their efforts across funding categories.
See grant details.
The ABAG Executive Board at its Sept. 19 meeting adopted a resolution to recognize Brad Paul, Deputy Executive Director, Local Government Services. Brad will retire in October after a combined 11 years of service with ABAG-MTC. He joined ABAG as Deputy Director in 2013 and was instrumental in the consolidation of the previously separate ABAG and MTC workforces.
The Board thanked Brad for his decades of public service and commitment to addressing the Bay Area’s housing, transportation, climate and economic challenges.
The ABAG Executive Board voted on Sept. 19 to support California Propositions 4 and 5, measures scheduled for the statewide November ballot.
Proposition 4 is the state of California’s largest-ever climate bond and would allocate $10 billion to programs administered by the California Natural Resources Agency and its departments. Proposition 5 would set the vote threshold for local and regional bonds for affordable housing and public infrastructure at 55%.
Read about ABAG's support.
BayREN’s Single Family Home+ Program has been supporting the Bay Area since 2013 through rebates and educational resources focused on home energy efficiency and electrification upgrades. While the program has successfully reached many customers over the years, through recent data collected and surveys performed, BayREN realized its goal of primarily reaching the underserved audience of moderate-income residents was falling short.
BayREN initiated a redesign process in 2022 to better achieve the goals of health, comfort, safety and savings through energy upgrades for these residents. BayREN’s Home+ program will sunset to introduce the new Efficiency and Sustainable Energy (EASE) Home program, which will offer moderate-income customers low-cost upgrades and expert guidance to simplify the process of improving home performance.
Learn about EASE.
The Bay Area didn't make the top metros for new construction in the U.S. this year, according to RentCafe’s annual Apartment Construction Report.
Despite being the second largest apartment builder in California, the San Francisco metro area landed at #25 in the national rankings, while San Jose was #33.
Apartment construction in the U.S. will reach a historic high of over 500,000 new units expected to hit the market by the end of 2024. California is the fourth-largest contributor to this boom, with 29,880 apartments underway — matching the volume forecasted for the Dallas metro area. Learn about the report.
Congressional members from both the House and Senate signed their respective resolutions supporting the designation of Sept. 21 to 28 as National Estuaries Week.
This commitment to our estuaries, started in 1988 as National Estuaries Day, aims to draw attention to these vital bodies of water locally and around the country while encouraging the public to become involved with their protection.
Nationally, the San Francisco Estuary Partnership is part of the National Estuary Program under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Locally, the Estuary Partnership is an Association of Bay Area Governments program staffed by MTC working to increase the health and resiliency of the San Francisco Estuary. Learn about Estuaries Week.
