The California Departments of Finance (DOF) as well as the Housing and Community Development (HCD) forecasts the need for housing within each region based on population projections. This process is called the Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA).
The regional planning agency for each region then must distribute the projected housing among its member local jurisdictions. Fairfax falls within the region governed by the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG). For the 2022-2030 planning cycle, the State has determined that the Bay Area must plan for an additional 441,176 new units, of which Fairfax is expected to provide a minimum of 490 new homes.