The Community Engagement Plan
Why should I get involved?
The Housing Element is part of the City’s General Plan. Its purpose is to facilitate the production of a variety of housing types, at different income levels, to accommodate all households and family types. Cities are required by state law to update their Housing Element every eight years, and the City of Milpitas is now updating its Housing Element to plan for the City’s projected housing needs during the next eight years between 2023 and 2031.
The Housing Element evaluates the City’s housing conditions and needs; establishes goals, objectives, and policies that form the foundation of the City’s housing strategy; and identifies a range of programs to create sustainable and inclusive neighborhoods throughout the city. The Housing Element also seeks to remove constraints to housing production, improve and preserve existing housing in the community, and promote fair housing. Once completed, the Housing Element will be submitted to California’s Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) for review and certification.
Community
Engagement Goals
The engagement effort will be systematic and inclusive, with focus on the following key goals:
- Engaging a broad range of community stakeholders at key points in the process;
- Using a variety of interactive activities and communication tools to receive public input;
- Keeping the public well-informed throughout the process;
- Building community ownership of the plan; and
- Developing capacity for community leaders.
City staff and consultant team will listen, inform, and translate the community’s and stakeholder’s viewpoints and vision, and continually report back on how the information gathered will be shared and applied.
Planned Community Engagement Activities
This project website will provide clear two-way communication and the common thread throughout the engagement process, connecting the community to project updates and deliverables, upcoming events, and meeting summaries. This site will include an interactive component to encourage the community to complete surveys. The public will also be able to sign up to receive notifications on the Housing Element process.
Meetings will be held with representatives of community groups, business leaders, advocacy organizations and community leaders early in the engagement process to help identify key housing needs, assets, and opportunities. To ensure that multiple perspectives are represented, focus group meetings will be held with community members that represent a range of socio-demographic backgrounds, including youth, non-English speaking populations, older adults, and other groups not traditionally involved in the Housing Element process.
Interactive citywide meetings will be held at key phases of the planning process.
To meet with community members at times and locations convenient for everyone, “pop-up” meetings will be held at popular locations and well-attended events in Milpitas.
Meetings will be held with decision-makers at key points during the process to gather input and provide direction.
Project Workflow
The following graphic outlines the anticipated engagement activities in each of the of the project.
How to get and stay involved?
There are many ways to get involved and stay informed:
Check out the homepage for updates
How your Feedback will be Used
Community input gathered throughout the planning process will be compiled to ensure that City staff and decision-makers will have a full understanding of your ideas when drafting, reviewing, and adopting the Housing Element. Community input will be summarized and merged into key insights where participants will not be identified by name but instead by a description of their role.
For more information or if you have questions or comments to share please contact the Milpitas Housing Element team at the button below