RHNA - Regional Housing Need Allocation

Regional Housing Need Allocation 

MCAG is currently developing its 6^th Cycle Regional Housing Need Allocation (RHNA) Plan. RHNA is a state-mandated process to identify the number of housing units that each local government must accommodate in the Housing Element of its General Plan (Government Code §65584).

 As part of the RHNA process, the State Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) allocates shares of statewide housing need, by income category, to councils/associations of government (COGs), and advises COGs in the preparation of the RHNA plan. MCAG, as the council of government for the Merced County region, is then required to develop a methodology to distribute the housing need to jurisdictions within the region and prepare a regional housing needs allocation plan that determines housing allocations specific to jurisdictions and furthers the objectives of Government Code Section 65584. Each local jurisdiction must then update the Housing Element of its General Plan in accordance with the community’s housing needs.

Senate Bill 375 (Chapter 728, Statutes of 2008) strengthened the coordination between housing and transportation planning and amended the RHNA schedule and methodology to align with the development Regional Transportation Plans and Sustainable Communities Strategies (RTP/SCS). The development of MCAG’s 2022 RTP/SCS will happen in tandem with the 6^th Cycle RHNA Plan. 

As the RHNA Plan is developed, draft and final documents will be posted on this web page.

Regional Housing Need Determination from HCD

Final Determination Letter

RHNA Steering Committee

MCAG will convene a RHNA Steering Committee made up of local government representatives and regional stakeholders to advise MCAG in developing a methodology for allocating a share of the region’s total housing units to each local government.

Meeting Information 

RHNA Plans

2015

2008

2002