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Housing Element Implementation Toolkit
Click here for specific information about your city in Santa Clara County! Every eight years, the Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) process is used to assign each city and county in California their “fair share” of the region’s new housing units, to make room for future growth and to ease our housing crisis. This process […]
HOUSING TOPICS
Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs)
Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs), sometimes called secondary units, granny units, in-law units, and backyard cottages,…
Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH)
On March 3, 2025, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) published its…
Affordable Rental Housing Finance
Affordable rental housing has many of the same cost components as market-rate housing: land, development…
Area Median Income & Eligibility for Affordable Housing
The area median income (AMI) in Santa Clara County in the 2025-26 fiscal year is…
At-Risk Rental Properties
The California Housing Partnership Corporation (CHPC) tracks all income-restricted apartments that have been developed with…
CASA – The Committee to House the Bay Area
After 18 months of intense work, dialogue and debate, the Committee to House the Bay…
CEQA (California Environmental Quality Act)
This 1972 State statute, much amended over the years, requires that all but small development…
Commercial Linkage Fees
Commercial Linkage Fees (CLF) are a common tool used by local communities for generating affordable…
Community-Based Development
Community-Based Development (CBD) is a place-based, people-focused model that empowers residents of historically disinvested communities…
Community Land Trusts
A community land trust (CLT) is a nonprofit, tax-exempt corporation that is defined in federal…
Condo Conversions
Condominium (also known as “condo”) conversion refers to the conversion of multi-family rental units from…
Costs of Development
Financing the development of housing is complex, and financing affordable housing development is even more…
Developer Resources for ICE Actions
In Santa Clara County, anyone can report ICE activity to the Rapid Response Network by…
Ellis Act
The Ellis Act, adopted in 1985, establishes limits on how cities can regulate the way…
Emergency Interim Housing
Our communities are experiencing a homelessness crisis, which is a symptom of an overwhelming shortage…
Existing Affordable Housing Assets
SV@Home has compiled data from the 16 jurisdictions in Santa Clara County to determine the…
Fair Housing
Federal Law Under federal law, it is illegal to discriminate in the sale or rental…
General Plans
Every city and county in California is required by the State to adopt a General…
Glossary of Affordable Housing and Development Terms
20% Housing Funds – See Low- and Moderate-Income Housing Fund. ABAG – See Association of…
Homekey Initiative Motel Conversions
On June 30, 2020, Governor Newsome announced the $600 million Homekey Initiative, a hotel/motel conversion…
Homelessness
According to the 2022 Santa Clara County Homeless Census and Survey (also known as the Homeless…
Housing Development Process
The housing development process is complex and time-consuming even under the most favorable of circumstances.…
Housing Elements
Every city and county in California is required by the State to adopt a General Plan that…
Housing Impact Fees
An impact fee is a charge levied by a local community on new development that covers the…
Inclusionary Housing
Inclusionary Housing Ordinances (IHO) require developers to set aside a portion of units in new…
Jobs and Housing
Santa Clara County and to other parts of the Bay Area faces a significant jobs-housing…
Jobs and Housing in the Development Pipeline
The housing crisis in Silicon Valley and throughout the greater Bay Area has, by universal…
Jobs and Housing Pipeline in San Jose
San Jose is experiencing a tremendous amount of development and pre-development activity. (Pre-development projects have…
Just Cause Eviction Protections
Just Cause Eviction Ordinances require that landlords have a reason to evict a tenant. These…
Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC)
The Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program has been one of the primary sources of…
Measure A Housing Bond
As of December 31, 2020, the Measure A program has committed over $499.35 million of…
Measure E in San Jose
The San Jose City Council placed Measure E on the March 3, 2020 Presidential Primary…
Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC)
The Federal Government, the State Legislature, and Bay Area voters have assigned the Metropolitan Transportation…
Missing Middle Housing
The term “Missing Middle Housing” refers to housing that is naturally more affordable because of…
Mobilehomes
Mobilehomes are often a source of naturally affordable housing. Mobilehome park residents often own their…
Reach Codes
Reach codes are building codes that reduce the emission of greenhouse gases and improve air…
Regional Collaboration
Housing must be considered through a regional lens. Planning for housing city by city or…
Regional Housing Need Allocation (RHNA)
Every eight years, the Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) process is used to assign each…
Rent Stabilization
Rent Stabilization – commonly called Rent Control – places a cap on annual allowable rent…
Santa Clara County’s Housing Shortfall
Determining the precise amount of housing needed is challenging, as it must include not only…
Santa Clara County: Community Plan to End Homelessness
Despite progress in Santa Clara County to create a supportive housing system that helps thousands…
Soft-Story Buildings
Soft-story building construction is a term used to describe low-rise, multi-story, wood-frame apartment structures with…
Specific Plans
Cities are required by State law to adopt General Plans that lay out plans for…
Surplus & Underutilized Public Land
One of the most challenging issues affordable housing developers face is acquiring land, particularly when…
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…
Understanding Housing Affordability
Santa Clara County is an expensive place to live. For both renters and homeowners, housing…