FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 7, 2018
Contact:
Julie Edmonds-Mares, City Manager
City of Milpitas
jedmonds-mares@milpitas.gov
(408) 586-3050
Steve McHarris Appointed as
Milpitas Deputy City Manager
New position will lead the city’s comprehensive
community development functions
Milpitas, Calif. — Steve McHarris will rejoin the staff of the City of Milpitas as the city’s deputy city manager for
community development. The appointment for the new position was announced by City Manager Julie
Edmonds-Mares on Friday, May 4.
McHarris previously served as director of the Milpitas Planning and Neighborhood Services Department for
three years until 2015, when he joined the City of San José as its planning official and deputy director of the San
José Planning, Building, & Code Enforcement Department.
“Steve has both the breadth and depth of professional planning experience that we need to lead the incredibly
fast-paced growth of our city,” said Edmonds-Mares. “Combined with his extensive knowledge of our
community, his familiarity with the challenges of planning, development, and housing in Silicon Valley, and his
positive vision for Milpitas, he’s an outstanding fit for our community and the city organization.”
The Milpitas City Council approved the new position for deputy city manager in the City Manager’s Office in April
this year to coordinate a broad range of land use planning and development functions over several
departments.
The position will oversee the operations of two departments, Building and Safety and Planning and
Neighborhood Services, along with land development, economic development, and related inspection activities
and development services in other departments. McHarris initially will be responsible for an organizational
review to identify improvements for better interdepartmental collaboration and a more efficient and effective
development process.
“To start, I’ve also assigned Steve to evaluate our current developer fees and other proposed changes to make
sure we’re recovering our costs fairly and fully,” said the city manager. “This will be done collaboration with
internal and external stakeholders as we focus on the areas of land use entitlements, plan check, inspections,
customer service, and support to the development community.”
“Milpitas is a great city with tremendous potential,” said McHarris. “It has an incredibly rich cultural diversity,
and it has a prime location for Silicon Valley opportunities. I’m happy to return to the Milpitas city team so that
we can continue to work together in partnership with our community to improve quality of life for our
neighborhoods and our businesses.”
Prior to his service at Milpitas and San José, McHarris served in planning leadership roles for the cities of
Soledad, Atascadero, and Fremont, as well as with the University of California, Irvine. A graduate of California
State Polytechnic University-Pomona, he also has a master’s degree in public administration/urban planning
from California State University Fullerton.
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About the City of Milpitas
With a population of nearly 80,000, Milpitas is the 8 th -fastest growing city in the United States according to the
US Census, and the 2 nd -fastest in California. Milpitas also boasts the third highest job growth among the 515
qualifying cities rated by Wallet Hub. The homeownership rate is close to 70%, and the housing market in
Milpitas remains relatively affordable in Santa Clara County. Milpitas is often called the “Crossroads of Silicon
Valley” with most of its 14 square miles situated between two major freeways (I-880 and I-680), Route 237, and
a County expressway.
Milpitas has approximately 1,790 acres, or nearly three square miles, designated for industrial uses, along with
eight existing industrial parks and 550 manufacturing plants. An additional 350 acres are dedicated to regional
and community retail centers supporting 3.5 million square feet of commercial shops. The Great Mall of the Bay
Area is the largest enclosed mall in Northern California, with approximately 1.1 million square feet of leasable
space for retail and entertainment operations. https://www.milpitas.gov/
