MTC, ABAG Affiliates Help Factory-Built Homes Fill Bay Area Gap

MTC's and the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG)'s Bay Area Housing Finance Authority affiliate and ABAG's BayREN unit are participating in efforts to expand factory-built housing with pilot programs in Alameda and San Francisco counties designed to develop efficient, sustainable and locally adaptable solutions to the Bay Area's housing affordability challenges.

The California Strategic Growth Council through its Factory-Built Housing Regional Pilot Program awarded $3 million last month to the Bay Area Middle Housing Accelerator project, led by StopWaste and including BayREN and BAHFA as partners. 

BAHFA and BayREN will receive $365,000 of the grant. BAHFA will integrate its programs into factory-built housing financing, while BayREN will work with local governments to assess and improve permitting.  

“By scaling up factory-built housing, our Bay Area collaborative aims to efficiently deliver the middle-income homes our communities need, while simultaneously keeping valuable resources out of landfills, lowering carbon emissions, and building a regional circular economy,” said Timothy Burroughs, Executive Director of StopWaste.

The project will develop a regional framework to expand factory-built “missing middle” housing by creating standardized modular design prototypes, model zoning and permitting reforms, and technical assistance resources. 

“This project is part of BAHFA's commitment to developing innovative products that can deliver housing faster and more cost-effectively, so that we can maximize the impact of every dollar we invest,” said Daniel Saver, Deputy Executive Director for Housing and Energy for the Metropolitan Transportation Commission and ABAG. “We’re grateful for the support of the California Strategic Growth Council and our partners in Bay Area Middle Housing Accelerator for supporting this work.”

Jane Elias, BayREN’s Portfolio Administrator, noted that “BayREN is honored to be part of this effort. BayREN will bring its experience with building departments and permitting to this project in order to advance a sustainable future and expand housing opportunities in Bay Area communities.”