This year marks the 70th anniversary of Milpitas’ incorporation, and Mayor Carmen Montano celebrated its history and future in her State of the City address.
His message focused on the city’s history of agriculture and industry, as well as recent investments in affordable housing, public safety, transportation and economic development.
Montano said looking at the city’s past has helped inform how the city will move forward. As a Milpitas native, she remembers watching orchards become automobile factories and she is looking forward to the city’s latest evolution. — The development of its new innovation district.
“It’s like any other city, it’s growing, it’s part of the progress, but it has to be smart progress,” Montano told San José Spotlight. “We have to think about future generations, how these projects are going to influence or impact the future.”
The Milpitas City Council approved the 75-acre innovation district as part of its citywide rezoning plan. Montano said the city will focus on attracting artificial intelligence, automotive technology and bioscience companies. He added that the district is a key component in spurring job growth in the city, along with companies expanding their presence, such as KLA, Cisco and Apple.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Milpitas has about 77,000 residents, of which about 70% are Asian, 13.5% are Hispanic or Latino, and 13.3% are white. The median household income is $166,769.
Another focal point is the city’s affordable housing development. In his speech, Montano highlighted more than $773,000 that has been earmarked for housing production. The city recently approved two 100% affordable housing projects near the city’s transit center. He also referred to a financial support program. The city launched a program that gives 50 households $645 a month to help with rent payments.
Milpitas was the first city in the county to receive state approval for its housing element. The state requires Milpitas to add 6,713 homes by 2031, and more than half will be below market rate, a requirement the city has struggled to meet in the past.
Bernadette Gomez, office manager for the Milpitas Chamber of Commerce, said she was particularly pleased with the city’s housing upgrade, given the need across the state.
“People always complain that there isn’t enough housing, but they always complain that we’re building too many houses, but we need more housing,” Gomez told San José Spotlight.
He also said building more housing near the transit center was crucial to encouraging public transportation use.
Montano mentioned in his speech that SMART Milpitas, the city’s signature ride-sharing service, averaged 800 riders per week. The city won awards from the American Public Transportation Association and the California Association of Public Information Office for the way it marketed the program to its residents.
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Former Milpitas Mayor Rich Tran said he fully supported Montano’s efforts as mayor.
“I am honored to know that I have been succeeded by the first female mayor in Milpitas history and the best candidate for the position regardless of gender,” Tran told San José Spotlight.
Dublin resident María Angélica Colmenares said she came to support Montano and that learning more about the city made her interested in moving to the area, especially about the city’s investments in economic development.
Another of Montano’s supporters, San Jose resident David Lonero, said he was interested in the city’s plans to revitalize Main Street. Montano said in his speech that the city council will soon adopt the Gateway-Main Street Specific Plan to encourage development, transportation and community engagement, which he hopes will revitalize Main Street as a destination space. Lonero said he used to work in Milpitas and that he visited Main Street frequently and would like to see it. revitalized.
“It was a completely different vibe back then,” Lonero told San José Spotlight. “She’s going to take it back.”
Contact B. Sakura Cannestra at [email protected] or @SakuCannestra on X, formerly known as Twitter.
