San José has undergone many changes over the last 60 years. During the 1960s and '70s, the city had a small urban downtown and several walkable neighborhoods flanked by farms and orchards. The low cost of land appealed to tech R&D companies, and San Jose soon evolved to one of the fastest growing cities in the nation. This growth transformed San José into the urban center of Silicon Valley, the Bay Area's largest city, and the 10th largest city in the country.

San José will continue to grow and the blueprint for this growth is the City's General Plan. The General Plan represents the official policy regarding where new development may occur, and it assesses the amount, type, and phasing of development needed to achieve the City's social, economic, and environmental goals.

Envision San Jose 2040 General Plan

The Envision San José 2040 Task Force was created in 2007 to assist staff with major community outreach and the update of the City’s General Plan. This update process resulted in the award-winning Envision San José 2040 General Plan, adopted by the City Council in November 2011.

This General Plan centers on 12 Major Strategies that reflect the community’s expressed desire to see San José  grow as a prominent great City that provides environmental and economic leadership role in the region, nation and world.

In terms of the City's physical form, the General Plan outlines a wide variety of living and working environments; continued development of the Downtown; preservation and improvement of existing residential neighborhoods; and creating new, vibrant urban villages. This physical form is attractive to San José’s diverse population and meets the needs of two growing segments of the population: young professionals and aging seniors.

The Envision San José 2040 General Plan received the Award of Excellence, Comprehensive Plan Award for a Large Jurisdiction from both the Northern California American Planning Association and the California American Planning Association. These awards recognized the teamwork involved across multiple City departments; the extensive community engagement process; and the Plan's contributions to long range planning.

Learn more about the 2040 General Plan

• Annual Performance Review Report: View the City's progress in achieving Major Strategies identified in the General Plan
  
  
• General Plan Text (updated 10-24-2024): View the General Plan document. 
  
  
• Annual General Plan Amendment Process: The City annually considers amendments to the General Plan, initiated by either the City or private developers.
  
  
• Text Amendment History (updated 3-24-2022): See General Plan text amendments have been approved since its adoption in 2011.
  
  
• General Plan 4-Year Review: Every four years, the City convenes a Task Force that publicly evaluates the City’s achievement of the General Plan's key goals and proposes mid-course adjustments through amendments.