Milpitas: Locals petition against high-density friendly zoning in neighborhood

MILPITAS — Plans to prepare a south Milpitas neighborhood for hundreds of new affordable housing projects is facing pushback by locals, who say such developments will disrupt their community.

More than 550 community members living near Landess Avenue — west of Interstate 680 — have signed a petition urging the City Council to reject plans to rezone the avenue as a neighborhood for mixed-use development. The proposed designation — NCMU —  would allow commercial, retail and affordable housing units to be built alongside existing businesses.

It’s a move the city says will provide redevelopment opportunities for older commercial properties, and help fulfill state- and city-mandated plans to add thousands of new homes in Milpitas by 2031. But Landess petitioners maintain the city has failed to do sufficient analysis on the impacts of the NCMU change and are concerned that a potential influx of new residents will affect local resources.

The rush to build more housing comes as Milpitas, like dozens of other Bay Area cities, is forging ahead with its Housing Element — a housing blueprint submitted every eight years to the state that outlines how cities will add a specific number of homes at a range of price points. Milpitas must build 6,713 new housing units by 2031.

The nine-county Bay Area is expected to add more than 441,000 new homes by 2031 to meet housing demands, a 15% increase in the region’s total housing stock. The counties must also allocate about 40% of those homes for families with low or very-low incomes.

Landess Avenue isn’t the only area in the city slated for NCMU zoning; there are three others across north and central Milpitas. The NCMU areas were identified by the city in 2021, and chosen by factors including available land space. The council will deliberate whether to approve the zoning at their August meeting.

Landess is currently lined with multiple eateries, a small plaza with several storefronts and empty parking lots. The surrounding neighborhood consists mostly of single-family homes and schools. Petitioners say there is a lack of clarity on how the city will manage potential overflows of schools, hospitals and roads. Local roads, they say, are already congested with traffic from ongoing developments around the Great Mall region — which is only a few miles from Landess.

NCMU zoning allows buildings to be a maximum of 75 feet tall, or six stories, which has some residents worried about their privacy and safety.

“I’m next to that NCMU site right now,” said petition organizer Manali Desai. “It’s going to be a six-story building next to my home and community. I don’t know what will happen to our privacy and safety, that is my main concern.”

In a statement, City Manager Ned Thomas said staff are aware of the petition and have held recent public meetings to answer questions and “address inaccurate or misleading information statements included with the petition,” including referring to the NCMU as a project, instead of a zone category.

Parcels of land within city boundaries are assigned a specific zone category that comes with its own standards and guidelines for specific developments allowed, according to the city.

Any future development projects on the NCMU zone will be required to go through an “extensive public review process with multiple opportunities for nearby residents and business owners to provide input,” Thomas said. The city’s review and permitting process projects also include “full analysis of potential impacts to traffic, parking, open space, noise, aesthetics, housing and schools.”

A store manager for Apni Mandi Farmers Market who goes by the name “Captain” said he isn’t familiar with the NCMU zoning process and potential projects that will be allowed. Apni Mandi is an Indian grocery store along Landess that opened in late 2023, replacing a Lucky’s.

New homes in the area mean more customers, but nearby construction could disrupt people’s shopping experience, he said.

“Although we empathize with these requirements,” he said recently inside the store, “it will affect us massively.”