Program: OneBayArea Grant Program
Image Upload:
What it does:
The OneBayArea Grant (OBAG) program supports focused growth and the San Francisco Bay Area’s growth strategy by directing flexible federal funding to the region’s “Priority Development Areas” (PDAs). These PDAs are the areas that cities and the region have identified as the best places to focus growth. OBAG funds may only be distributed to jurisdictions that have a Complete Streets policy and an approved Housing Element that shows where it states its affordable housing goals.
Goals:
OBAG is an innovative funding approach created to better integrate the region’s federal transportation program with Senate Bill 375 and the Sustainable Communities Strategy.
Cost & Financing:
The Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) plans to dedicate $14 billion to OBAG over 28 years. The initial commitment is $320 million over the first four year cycle. Funds are distributed through a formula based on population, past housing production and future housing commitments along with jurisdiction efforts to produce low-income housing.
| County | # of Projects | Total Funding (in millions) |
| Alameda | 25 | $63.1 |
| Contra Costa | 31 | $45.2 |
| Marin | 10 | $10.0 |
| Napa | 4 | $6.7 |
| San Francisco | 9 | $38.6 |
| San Mateo | 33 | $26.5 |
| Santa Clara | 41 | $88.1 |
| Solano | 24 | $18.8 |
| Sonoma | 17 | $23.0 |
| Total | 194 Projects | $320 million |
Outcomes:
While it is too soon to comprehensively evaluate OBAG, the initial funding cycle has caused some change published in the MTC’s Report Card. OBAG’s policy requirements have led several counties and cities to finalize and get approval for their Housing Element and to adopt a Complete Streets policy. Projects were located in or had proximate access to a PDA and 60% included bicycle or pedestrian oriented elements. The Transportation for Livable Communities (TLC) program’s average project size increased by 40%.
Key Contacts:
| Name | Organization | Phone Number | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Craig Goldblatt | MTC | (510) 817-5837 | cgoldblatt@mtc.ca.gov |
| Clarrissa Cabansagan | TransForm | (510) 740-3150 x333 | ccabansagan@transformca.org |
Craig Goldblatt is the program manager. Clarrissa was one of the advocates pushing MTC to include the Complete Streets and Affordable Housing policies in OBAG.
Learn More:
- MTC’s One Bay Area Home Page: A program overview
- MTC OBAG Report Card (Feb. 2014): A 39 page report on the initial impacts of OBAG
- TransForm’s Advocacy Work: An overview on TransForm’s advocacy work for OBAG.
- “Strong Regional Plan for the Bay Area, Plan Bay Area, Adopted with Last-Minute Improvements” by Clarrissa Cabansagan, TransForm (July 2013): A blog post about the inclusion of specific elements in the plan that TransForm advocated.
Last Updated August 19, 2014 | Written By Mimi Tam
