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California Forever
Company typePrivate
IndustryReal estate development
Founded2017
FounderJan Sramek
SubsidiariesFlannery Associates
Websitecaliforniaforever.com

California Forever is an American real estate development corporation founded by Jan Sramek. Through its subsidiary Flannery Associates, California Forever anonymously purchased over 50,000 acres of farm land in southeastern Solano County, on the edge of the San Francisco Bay Area. In August 2023, the company announced the East Solano Plan to build a new walkable city of up to 400,000 people on 17,500 acres of land. In July 2024, the company withdrew its ballot initiative and announced an agreement with county officials to create an environmental impact report and development agreement.[1]

History

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Czech Republic-born entrepreneur Jan Sramek founded California Forever and its subsidiary Flannery Associates in 2017.[2][3] 97% of the company's funding comes from US investors, with the remaining 3% coming from British and Irish investors.[4]

The development of the project was described as a five-year "stealth campaign" by The Real Deal.[5] During that time, the company purchased over 50,000 acres of land in Solano County, California for an estimated $900 million.[6] The company's website claimed that the project was kept secret to prevent speculation from driving up real estate prices.[7] The secrecy surrounding these acquisitions led to widespread media speculation.[8]

As of September 2023, the land is zoned for agricultural use only and is subject to slow-growth laws.[9] Due to these legal protections, the land can only be developed for urban use if a ballot initiative is passed by local voters. In August 2023, the company issued a mail-in poll to gauge support for the project among local residents.[10] In January 2024 the company released its proposed city plans and the ballot initiative coming to voters,[11] however the ballot measure was withdrawn in July 2024.[12]

Investors

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On 25 August, 2023, The New York Times reported that the company's backers include the venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, as well as several prominent Silicon Valley investors:[8]

California Forever has stated that its investors are not involved in everyday operations.[2]

Planned development

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The site is located in Solano County, California, approximately 60 miles (97 km) northeast of San Francisco.[8] Its planned size would include a population of up to 400,000 residents over a land area about two thirds the size of San Francisco,[9] just north of Highway 12 between Travis Air Force Base and the City of Rio Vista.[13] The proposed city would include residential homes, a solar farm and public parks.[14]

The original architectural designs for the city, released on the company's website, showed Mediterranean architecture and streetcar infrastructure.[5] The urban design critic for the San Francisco Chronicle criticized the designs as lacking detail and being unrealistic,[15] and Jon Steinberg compared them to the futuristic city of The Jetsons.[16]

Controversy

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An aerial view of a military air base bordering on arid farmland.
Travis Air Force Base and surrounding farmland in 2023. California Forever's acquisition of land adjacent to the air base prompted concerns over national security.

California Forever's secretive acquisition of land adjacent to Travis Air Force Base through its subsidiary Flannery Associates raised concerns over the security of the military installation. In July of 2023, The Wall Street Journal reported that the United States Air Force's Foreign Investment Risk Review Office had been investigating Flannery Associates' land purchases for about eight months.[17] Additionally, US Representatives John Garamendi and Mike Thompson, who both represent parts of Solano County, asked the FBI and the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States to investigate Flannery Associates' land acquisitions.[18]

The project has received widespread criticism from local residents and officials.[19][20] Critics of the planned development have noted the lack of a reliable water supply and presence of wind farms as a potential obstacle to urban development.[9] Catherine Moy, the mayor of Fairfield, California, stated that the lack of mass transit, inadequate highway access, and drought conditions in the area would make it difficult to support a city.[14] Its potential impact on neighboring communities in the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta has also been cited as a potential drawback.[9]

In May 2023, Flannery Associates filed an anti-trust lawsuit against several landowners accusing them of illegally conspiring to raise prices of their land.[3] Gil Duran, in a January 2024 The New Republic article, wrote that not only did the project violate existing land use laws but also that Flannery themselves had "lavished money on local landowners, overpaying for the land by millions".[21]

Former mayor of West Sacramento, California Christopher Cabaldon expressed concerns that operating family farms may become more difficult. He also accused Flannery Associates of canceling long-standing foraging leases.[22]

The Greenbelt Alliance, Sierra Club, and other groups have formed a coalition called Solano Together to oppose California Forever's project.[23]

References

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  1. ^ "After Ballot Measure for New City Is Delayed, Solano Residents Breathe a Sigh of Relief". kqed.com. 2024-07-23. Retrieved 2024-07-23.
  2. ^ a b "Company behind Solano County land grab says 2008 law will decide 'California Forever'". abc10.com. 2023-09-04. Retrieved 2024-01-26.
  3. ^ a b Dougherty, Conor. "The Farmers Had What the Billionaires Wanted". The New York Times.
  4. ^ Robles, Sergio (2023-09-02). "California Forever, the company behind land purchases in Solano County". The Hill. Retrieved 2023-09-24.
  5. ^ a b Staff, T. R. D. (2023-09-03). "California Forever: Billionaire-Backed Utopian Plans Unveiled". The Real Deal. Retrieved 2023-09-24.
  6. ^ Dougherty, Conor; Marcos, Coral Murphy (2023-11-30). "Hostility Slaps Silicon Valley Bigwigs Trying to Build a New City". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-04-21.
  7. ^ "Company behind Solano County land grab says 2008 law will decide 'California Forever'". abc10.com. September 4, 2023. Retrieved 2023-09-24.
  8. ^ a b c Dougherty, Conor; Griffith, Erin (2023-08-25). "The Silicon Valley Elite Who Want to Build a City From Scratch". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-04-21.
  9. ^ a b c d Nolte, Carl (2023-09-09). "Why the California Forever dream of a new city would be a nightmare". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2023-09-24.
  10. ^ "'California Forever': Billionaires want to build a new city in Solano County. It'll be up to voters". KCRA. 2023-09-01. Retrieved 2023-09-24.
  11. ^ "California Forever announces city plan, proposed Solano County ballot initiative". abc10.com. 2024-01-17. Retrieved 2024-01-26.
  12. ^ Dowd, Katie (July 22, 2024). "In shock move, California Forever pulls measure to build Bay Area city". SF Gate.
  13. ^ Manna, Orko (2024-05-16). "New renderings show California Forever's plans for new city in Solano County". KCRA. Retrieved 2024-07-23.
  14. ^ a b "Tech titans' vision for a new city in Northern California raises concerns". France 24. September 3, 2023.
  15. ^ King, John (2023-09-01). "Here's everything that's wrong with renderings of new California city fueled by tech money". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2023-09-24.
  16. ^ "The Botched Reveal of California Forever". The Information. Retrieved 2023-09-24.
  17. ^ O’Keeffe, Kristina; Peterson, Jack; Gillum, Kate (2023-07-07). "Investors Bought Nearly $1 Billion in Land Near a California Air Force Base. Officials Want to Know Who Exactly They Are". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2024-04-21.
  18. ^ Bertrand, Natasha (2023-08-11). "National security panel reviewing secretive land buys near key Air Force base". CNN. Retrieved 2024-04-21.
  19. ^ Anguiano, Dani (2023-09-02). "Plan for 55,000-acre utopia dreamed by Silicon Valley elites unveiled". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 2023-09-24.
  20. ^ Davis, Wes (2023-09-03). "'California Forever' website touts the city tech billionaires are trying to build". The Verge. Retrieved 2023-09-24.
  21. ^ Duran, Gil (January 4, 2024). "The People of Solano County Versus the Next Tech-Billionaire Dystopia". The New Republic. Archived from the original on April 26, 2024. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
  22. ^ Dineen, J.K. "'So arrogant it's amazing': Solano County ranchers decry tech billionaires' land grab". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2024-04-21.
  23. ^ Shahin, Krys (November 28, 2023). "Solano County environmentalist groups announce new coalition against California Forever project". ABC10.
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