Regional housing needs: regional transportation plan.

Assembly Member Elhawary's regional housing needs legislation extends key planning timelines and strengthens coordination between housing allocation and transportation strategies across California. The bill modifies the schedule for determining regional housing needs, requiring the Department of Housing and Community Development to assess existing and projected housing requirements three years before scheduled housing element revisions, rather than the current two-year timeline. For regions with revisions due in 2027-2029, the bill establishes specific transition periods ranging from 24 to 32 months.

The legislation requires councils of governments to incorporate additional factors when developing methodologies for distributing housing allocations, including the development patterns outlined in their sustainable communities strategies. Housing allocation plans must now be explicitly informed by these strategies rather than strictly adhering to them. The bill maintains requirements for allocating units across income levels while expanding data collection on factors like household growth, vacancy rates, and the relationship between jobs and housing.

To enhance coordination between agencies, the bill extends the consultation period between the department and councils of governments from 26 to 38 months prior to housing element revisions. This expanded timeline allows for more thorough analysis of population projections, housing market conditions, and transportation planning objectives. The legislation preserves existing procedures for councils of governments to object to departmental determinations while clarifying which housing need determinations remain exempt from environmental review requirements.