Draft Plan Bay Area 2050+ Public Comment Period Closes Dec. 18

Interested Bay Area residents, agencies and organizations are encouraged to review and comment on the draft plan online at PlanBayArea.org/draftplan. Draft Plan Bay Area 2050+ is the region's long-range plan for transportation, housing, the economy and the environment.

Comments will be reviewed by officials from both ABAG and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) as they consider adoption of the final plan, slated for early 2026. Draft Plan Bay Area 2050+, the Draft EIR and Draft Implementation Plan are available for review and public comment. The public comment deadline is 5 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 18.

Priority Conservation Areas (PCA) Program Call for Proposals Open

ABAG and the MTC, in partnership with the State Coastal Conservancy, are offering up to $8 million in grants ranging from $200,000 to $1 million in the latest cycle of PCA grants. Applications are due Friday, Dec. 19, at 11:59 p.m.

Visit the PCA grants webpage on the MTC website for details of the Call for Proposals.

2025 New State Housing Laws Webinar

ABAG's Regional Housing Technical Assistance (RHTA) Program will present its annual overview of housing-related bills signed in this legislative session on Tuesday, Dec. 16 from 10-11:30 a.m. Staff from Goldfarb and Lipman LLP will provide information on the new laws and answer questions from jurisdiction staff.

Register for the webinar.

The 2025 State of the Estuary Conference Connected Art, Science and Innovation

Over 700 people gathered at the Oakland Scottish Rite Center in late October to connect on their shared goals to preserve habitats, support thriving species, manage resources effectively, and promote community health and engagement during the State of the San Francisco Estuary Conference. The 17th biennial conference, hosted by the San Francisco Estuary Partnership, returned this year with a dynamic event focused on the intersections of science, policy and lived experience by showcasing the latest information about the region’s work to sustain and improve the San Francisco Estuary.

Read more about the State of the Estuary Conference.

35th Anniversary Gala Marks New Direction for Bay Trail

ABAG-MTC Executive Director Andrew Fremier and other Commission staff were among the celebrants at a San Francisco event marking the 35th anniversary of the San Francisco Bay Trail in November. The event honored the years of work done by members of Bay Trail Board of Directors to expand and maintain the 350-mile active transportation network overseen by ABAG and MTC. It also opened a new chapter in Bay Trail history during which Oakland-based nonprofit Save the Bay will work to lead advocacy efforts to complete the remaining 150 miles of the planned 500-mile system.

Read more about the Bay Trail anniversary gala.

New State Law Promotes Preservation of Affordable Market-Rate Housing

The Bay Area Housing Finance Authority (BAHFA)’s work to preserve existing housing that lower- and middle-income residents can afford got an important boost in October when Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law Assembly Bill 670. AB 670 allows local governments throughout California to count investments in preserving unsubsidized affordable housing toward the annual progress reports used to assess the housing elements of cities’ and counties’ adopted general plans. The new law also requires local governments to report all demolished housing units and to demonstrate compliance with replacement housing and relocation assistance standards.

Read more about AB 670. 

BayREN and OakCLT Partnership Helps Preserve Oakland Home

Through a partnership between BayREN’s Efficiency and Sustainable Energy (EASE) Home program and the Oakland Community Land Trust, a pair of Oakland residents were able to make smart, energy-efficient upgrades this fall that improve comfort, reduce costs and help keep their home in good condition.

Read more about BayREN and OakCLT’s partnership.

New Community of Practice Highlights Digital Housing Tools

BAHFA staff, in partnership with the Beeck Center for Social Impact and Innovation at Georgetown University, launched a new virtual community last month to support government and nonprofit agency staff using digital innovations to improve affordable housing placement. The community of practice was developed to exchange ideas with other communities in the U.S. and Canada on how to address shared challenges and further affordable housing advocacy.

Learn more about the virtual community of practice.

Meetings

View Executive Board and Committee meeting information.