Milpitas council adopts NCMU zoning and Housing Opportunity Districts after months of outreach; residents voice traffic and school concerns

The Milpitas City Council on April 15 adopted a general plan amendment and zoning changes that establish Neighborhood Commercial Mixed Use (NCMU) subdistricts and Town Center subdistricts — collectively described by staff as Housing Opportunity Districts (HODs) — intended to direct housing and mixed-use redevelopment to commercial corridors and aging shopping centers.

Planning Director Jay Lee told the council the HOD ordinance translates policies from the city’s 2040 General Plan and the 2023 housing-element update into zoning rules the city can apply consistently. Lee said the amendments were drafted in part to meet the state and regional regional housing needs allocation (RHNA) for Milpitas for 2023–2031, which the planning director said totals 6,713 units. Lee warned that failing to rezone appropriate sites could expose the city to state penalties or developer-led projects under a so-called “builder’s…