HAPPENING NOW
Housing Element Toolkit
Click here for specific information about your city in Santa Clara County! What happens once cities have a compliant Housing Element? Now the hard work begins, as local jurisdictions begin to implement the programs in this 8-year work plan. Each year in April, cities will report their progress to HCD in the Annual Progress Report […]
HOUSING TOPICS
![](https://siliconvalleyathome.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/adu_palo-alto.jpg)
Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs)
Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs), sometimes called secondary units, granny units, in-law units, and backyard cottages,…
![Apartment complex with trees](https://siliconvalleyathome.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Apartments.jpg)
Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH)
It’s the law in California! In July 2020, President Trump issued an Executive Order formally…
![](https://siliconvalleyathome.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Final-Rendering-for-Zoning-Submittal-1-1900x1007.jpg)
Affordable Rental Housing Finance
Affordable rental housing has many of the same cost components as market-rate housing: land, development…
![](https://siliconvalleyathome.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/PaseoSenter1589.jpg)
Area Median Income & Eligibility for Affordable Housing
The area median income (AMI) in Santa Clara County in 2023 is $181,300, an increase…
![](https://siliconvalleyathome.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/velvet-green-apartments-downey-ca-velvet-green.jpg)
At-Risk Rental Properties
The California Housing Partnership Corporation (CHPC) tracks all income-restricted apartments that have been developed with…
![](https://siliconvalleyathome.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/MTC-CASA2.jpg)
CASA – The Committee to House the Bay Area
After 18 months of intense work, dialogue and debate, the Committee to House the Bay…
![](https://siliconvalleyathome.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/RH-MonteSereno-1900x1266.jpg)
CEQA (California Environmental Quality Act)
This 1972 State statute, much amended over the years, requires that all but small development…
![Pierce](https://siliconvalleyathome.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/FinalPierceExterior_Slideshow2.jpg)
Commercial Linkage Fees
Commercial Linkage Fees (CLF) are a standard tool used by local communities for generating affordable…
![](https://siliconvalleyathome.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Homestead-Com.-Land-Trust-Columbia-City-1-scaled.jpg)
Community Land Trusts
A community land trust (CLT) is a nonprofit, tax-exempt corporation that is defined in federal…
![](https://siliconvalleyathome.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Sierra-Crest-2.jpg)
Condo Conversions
Condominium (also known as “condo”) conversion refers to the conversion of multi-family rental units from…
![](https://siliconvalleyathome.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Capture.png)
Costs of Development
Financing the development of housing is complex, and financing affordable housing development is even more…
![](https://siliconvalleyathome.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Garland-Plaza-in-Sunnyvale-Rehab-Families-1900x1267.jpg)
Ellis Act
The Ellis Act, adopted in 1985, establishes limits on how cities can regulate the way…
![Maybury Rd. Tiny Homes](https://siliconvalleyathome.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Mabury-Rd.jpg)
Emergency Interim Housing
Our communities are experiencing a homelessness crisis, which is a symptom of an overwhelming shortage…
![The Cahil Park townhouses located at Laurel Grove Lane and Cahil Park Drive in San Jose were built with modular construction.](https://siliconvalleyathome.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Cahil-Park.jpg)
Existing Affordable Housing Assets
SV@Home has compiled data from the 16 jurisdictions in Santa Clara County to determine the…
![Mother and children](https://siliconvalleyathome.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Family-2.jpg)
Fair Housing
Federal Law Under federal law, it is illegal to discriminate in the sale or rental…
![General Plan map of Morgan Hill](https://siliconvalleyathome.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Morgan-Hill.png)
General Plans
Every city and county in California is required by the State to adopt a General…
![](https://siliconvalleyathome.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/5539143302_075b4b4cb2_b.jpg)
Glossary of Affordable Housing and Development Terms
20% Housing Funds – See Low- and Moderate-Income Housing Fund. ABAG – See Association of…
![](https://siliconvalleyathome.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Homekey.jpg)
Homekey Initiative Motel Conversions
On June 30, 2020, Governor Newsome announced the $600 million Homekey Initiative, a hotel/motel conversion…
![](https://siliconvalleyathome.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/ev-571814-unsplash-1900x1249.jpg)
Homelessness
According to the 2022 Santa Clara County Homeless Census and Survey (also known as the Homeless…
![](https://siliconvalleyathome.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/shutterstock_581280124-1.jpg)
Housing Development Process
The housing development process is complex and time-consuming even under the most favorable of circumstances.…
![Woman, child and dog in front of townhomes](https://siliconvalleyathome.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/photo.png)
Housing Elements
Every city and county in California is required by the State to adopt a General Plan that…
![](https://siliconvalleyathome.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/matthew-lejune-388966-unsplash-1900x1425.jpg)
Housing Impact Fees
An impact fee is a charge levied by a local community on new development that covers the…
![](https://siliconvalleyathome.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/RH-LosGatos-800x534.jpg)
Inclusionary Housing
Inclusionary housing policies require or encourage developers to set aside a certain percentage of housing…
![](https://siliconvalleyathome.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/adolfo-felix-546626-unsplash.jpg)
Jobs and Housing
Santa Clara County and to other parts of the Bay Area faces a significant jobs-housing…
![](https://siliconvalleyathome.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/mercury-jobs-housing.jpg)
Jobs and Housing in the Development Pipeline
The housing crisis in Silicon Valley and throughout the greater Bay Area has, by universal…
![The Orchard office towers](https://siliconvalleyathome.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/The-Orchard.png)
Jobs and Housing Pipeline in San Jose
San Jose is experiencing a tremendous amount of development and pre-development activity. (Pre-development projects have…
![](https://siliconvalleyathome.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/dc08c4d4-9a4f-45ae-8698-3eba555b892f-San-Jose.jpg)
Just Cause Eviction Protections
Just Cause Eviction Ordinances require that landlords have a reason to evict a tenant. These…
![](https://siliconvalleyathome.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Charlotte-Park-1-1536x1024-1.jpg)
Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC)
The Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program has been one of the primary sources of…
![](https://siliconvalleyathome.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/ParksideStudios0269web-1900x1215.jpg)
Measure A Housing Bond
As of December 31, 2020, the Measure A program has committed over $499.35 million of…
![](https://siliconvalleyathome.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Screen-Shot-2020-05-21-at-12.21.56-PM.jpg)
Measure E in San Jose
The San Jose City Council placed Measure E on the March 3, 2020 Presidential Primary…
![San Francisco Bay Area from space](https://siliconvalleyathome.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/San-Francisco-Bay-From-Space-Crop-777x508-1.webp)
Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC)
The Federal Government, the State Legislature, and Bay Area voters have assigned the Metropolitan Transportation…
![1145 Martin Ave. Duplex](https://siliconvalleyathome.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/1145-Martin-Ave-Duplex.png)
Missing Middle Housing
The term “Missing Middle Housing” refers to housing that is naturally more affordable because of…
![Mobile homes](https://siliconvalleyathome.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/20160222__sjmobilehome1-1.jpg)
Mobilehomes
Mobilehomes are often a source of naturally affordable housing. Mobilehome park residents often own their…
![Electric vehicle charging stations](https://siliconvalleyathome.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/EV-Charging-Station-800x533-1.webp)
Reach Codes
Reach codes are building codes that reduce the emission of greenhouse gases and improve air…
![](https://siliconvalleyathome.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Aerial_downtownSJ-1900x1498.jpg)
Regional Collaboration
Housing must be considered through a regional lens. Planning for housing city by city or…
![](https://siliconvalleyathome.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/3.1a-housing-petaluma-ave-sebastopol.jpg)
Regional Housing Need Allocation (RHNA)
Every eight years, the Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) process is used to assign each…
![](https://siliconvalleyathome.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/9.CWext_.jpg)
Rent Stabilization
Rent Stabilization – commonly called Rent Control – places a cap on annual allowable rent…
![The Cahil Park townhouses located at Laurel Grove Lane and Cahil Park Drive in San Jose were built with modular construction.](https://siliconvalleyathome.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Cahil-Park.jpg)
Santa Clara County’s Housing Shortfall
Determining the precise amount of housing needed is challenging, as it must include not only…
![](https://siliconvalleyathome.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Villas-on-Park-Dai-Sugano-Bay-Area-News-Group.jpg)
Santa Clara County: Community Plan to End Homelessness
Despite progress in Santa Clara County to create a supportive housing system that helps thousands…
![Children doing schoolwork](https://siliconvalleyathome.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Kids2.jpg)
School Enrollment Decline & the Housing Element
Contact Alison Cingolani for more information. View The Missing Piece: How New Homes Can Help…
![](https://siliconvalleyathome.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/soft-story-a-1.jpg)
Soft-Story Buildings
Soft-story building construction is a term used to describe low-rise, multi-story, wood-frame apartment structures with…
![North Bayshore](https://siliconvalleyathome.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/20171006_North-Bayshore-Housing-Plan-Beyond-Chron.jpg)
Specific Plans
Cities are required by State law to adopt General Plans that lay out plans for…
![](https://siliconvalleyathome.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/rfr-caltrain-021.jpg)
Surplus & Underutilized Public Land
One of the most challenging issues affordable housing developers face is acquiring land, particularly when…
![](https://siliconvalleyathome.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/5Wounds.png)
Transit Oriented Communities at BART Stations
Transit-oriented development (TOD) is high-density residential and non-residential development located near rail transit stations and stops…
![Magnolias Affordable Housing Project entry plaza, rendering by SERA Architects](https://siliconvalleyathome.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Magnolias-Affordable-Housing-Project-entry-plaza-rendering-by-SERA-Architects.jpg)
Understanding Housing Affordability
Santa Clara County is an expensive place to live. For both renters and homeowners, housing…