Milpitas has embarked on a series of plans for creating sustainable and vibrant neighborhoods. The city’s General Plan which provides guidance to all city agencies and departments regarding urban design, land use, transportation, housing, open space, and a variety of other issues. Citywide Planning also develops permanent controls — zoning, planning code controls, and other regulations that implement the General Plan, both through community-based planning efforts and citywide initiatives. Community area plans over time, the City has adopted numerous Area Plans which layout guidance about growth, circulation, amenities, and other factors for specific areas of the city.

The Milpitas 2040 General Plan, adopted on March 9, 2021, establishes goals, policies, and actions to guide the future growth and development of the city. The General Plan is a comprehensive, long-term policy document used by City leaders, City staff, developers, and community members in making decisions about the City’s physical and social development.

A Climate Action Plan (CAP) is a strategic planning document that identifies how the City can achieve the greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction targets contained in the California Global Warming Solutions Act (AB 32). Looking at five key sectors— energy use, vehicle miles, waste production, water usage, and off-road activities—the CAP will incorporate best practices with public input to produce a blueprint for achieving GHG emissions reduction in Milpitas and ultimately, to comply with AB 32 and SB 375.

The Housing Element is a statement of the community’s housing needs, resources, constraints, and opportunities, which contains guiding principles, policies, and programs for housing and a five-year action plan detailing the actions to be taken by the City to respond to the community’s evolving housing needs.

The City of Milpitas is embarking on updating its 6th Housing Element as part of the General Plan. Over the course of the year, the Housing Element will be developed with input from the community and must be adopted by the City and certified by the State by January 2023.

The Milpitas Metro Specific Plan (formerly Transit Area Specific Plan) is a plan for the redevelopment of an approximately 437-acre area in the southern portion of the City that currently includes a number of industrial uses near the Great Mall shopping center.

The Milpitas Midtown Specific Plan provides a new vision for an approximately 1,000-acre area of land which is currently undergoing changes related to its growing role as a housing and employment center in Silicon Valley.