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Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities (AHSC) Program Draft Guidelines

On September 23, 2014, the Strategic Growth Council (SGC) released the first draft guidelines for the AHSC program for public comment. The current draft guidelines can be found here.

The AHSC program is supported by auction proceeds derived from the California Air Resources Board’s Cap and Trade Program and will provide grants and/or loans to land-use, housing, transportation, and land preservation projects to support infill and compact development that reduces greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. These projects should facilitate the reduction of GHG emissions by improving mobility options and increasing infill development, which decrease vehicle miles traveled and associated emissions, and by reducing land conversion. Projects should also support related public policy objectives, including:

  1. Reducing air pollution
  2. Improving conditions in disadvantaged communities
  3. Supporting or improving public health
  4. Improving connectivity and accessibility to jobs, housing and services
  5. Increasing options for mobility, including active transportation
  6. Protecting agricultural lands to support infill development

The San Joaquin Valley Regional Planning Agencies’ Directors’ Committee (Committee) recognizes that funding provided through this program is an important opportunity to implement key land use and transportation strategies to address climate change within the San Joaquin Valley.  Unfortunately, the current draft AHSC guidelines may significantly exclude quality projects within the most disadvantaged region of the state.  As a result, the Committee has requested the adoption of the final AHSC guidelines be delayed until the first quarter of 2015 to allow for additional discussion on this important issue. In addition, the Committee has developed a series of recommendations with regard to the guidelines that would provide for a more equitable implementation of the program in the San Joaquin Valley and throughout the state of California. These recommendations can be found in a letter to the Strategic Growth Council at the link below.

Letter to the Strategic Growth Council
Valley project examples
SB 535 Disadvantaged Communities map
AHSC Draft Guidelines

Overall Work Program 2013-2014

  • Intercity Rail – San Joaquin Council of Governments
  • State Route 99 Coordination – Kern Council of Governments
  • Joint Funding Strategies (STIP, IIP & SHOPP) – Tulare Association of Governments
  • San Joaquin Valley Interregional Goods Movement – Valleywide Coordinator, All
  • Short Haul Rail (SB 325 Implementation) – Tulare County Association of Governments
  • High Speed Rail (note: no valleywide consensus)- All
  • Air Quality Transportation Planning & Coordination – San Joaquin Council of Governments
  • San Joaquin Valley Blueprint Planning – Fresno Council of Governments
  • Relationship Development with External Agencies & Entities – Kings County Association of Governments and Valleywide Coordinator
  • Valley Legislative Affairs Committee – Kings County Association of Governments, All
  • Valleywide Model Improvement Plan – Fresno Council of Governments
  • Coordination with the California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley – Tulare County Association of Governments
  • Proposition 84, Sustainable Communities Implementation – Fresno Council of Governments
  • Regional Energy Planning – Valleywide Coordinator & Kern Council of Governments
  • MAP 21 – All
  • Regional Transportation Plans – All
  • Fall Policy Conference & Overall Networking – Kern & San Joaquin Council of Government’s
  • San Joaquin Valley Web Sites / Centralized Data – Merced County Association of Governments
  • Coordination of the San Joaquin Valley Regional Policy Council – Terri King, Kings County Association of Governments, Chair of DIrectors’ Committee & Valleywide Coordinator
  • Coordination of Executive DIrectors’ Committee – Terri King, Kings County Association of Governments, Chair of DIrectors’ Committee & Valleywide Coordinator
  • Fall Policy Conference & Overall Networking – Kern & San Joaquin Council of Government’s
  • San Joaquin Valley Web Sites / Centralized Data – Merced County Association of Governments
  • Coordination of the San Joaquin Valley Regional Policy Council – Terri King, Kings County Association of Governments, Chair of DIrectors’ Committee & Valleywide Coordinator
  • Coordination of Executive DIrectors’ Committee – Terri King, Kings County Association of Governments, Chair of DIrectors’ Committee & Valleywide Coordinator

View detailed 2013/2014 Work Plan
View 2014/2015 Work Plan

Valley Visions

Valley Visions is a series of planning efforts underway throughout the San Joaquin Valley. It takes a big-picture look at how the Valley can grow over time in a way that uses resources efficiently, protects existing communities, conserves farmland and open space, and supports the Valley economy, ultimately reducing future greenhouse gas emissions. These long-term regional plans, called Sustainable Communities Strategies, consider long-term housing, transportation and land use needs as required under Senate Bill 375. The eight counties of the San Joaquin Valley are coordinating on some aspects of these planning efforts to maximize resources, with each area’s Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) developing a separate plan. MPOs are responsible for setting transportation policy and priorities for a region and documenting how transportation funds will be spent in a Regional Transportation Plan.

For more information, please visit: www.valley-visions.org