All PDA designations must be in an “urbanized area” and adopt a Specific or Precise Plan by 2025.
There are two main categories of PDA designations: Transit-Rich and Connected Community. MTC/ABAG describes these designation as the following:
- Transit-Rich: The majority of land is within one-half mile of an existing or planned rail station, ferry terminal, or intersection of 2 or more bus routes with peak headways of 15 minutes or less.
- Connected Community: The majority of land is within ½ mile of an existing or planned bus line with headways of no more than 30 minutes in peak periods.
For Connected Community PDAs, MTC/ABAG further separates these areas by whether they are a “High-Resource Area.” High Resource Areas are defined by the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD). HCD uses these definitions in their Opportunity Maps. The detailed methodology used to determine these areas, and a current map, are available here.
A full description of these designations can be found here.