California Forever group draws criticism at Solano County town hall over purchased land

By Jonathan Ayestas

Click here for updates on this story

    SOLANO COUNTY, California (KCRA) — A group proposing a new city in Solano County took questions and concerns from community members on Monday during a town hall.

California Forever is the group comprising Silicon Valley billionaires, and they have spent some $800 million to buy 52,000 acres of land between Fairfield and Rio Vista. The group, which is the parent company of Flannery Associates, said it wants to build a new community on part of that land.

Representing California Forever during that town hall included the CEO, Jan Sramek, who sat down to answer questions. Sramek claimed that the new community would help address affordable housing.

Mitch Mashburn, one of Solano County’s supervisors, does not believe that to be the case.

“The problem that I have, and no one has explained this one to me, is how that is going to make it affordable because when you take land values that were $3,500 an acre just 10 years ago, and now, how do you make that pencil? And how are you going to make that affordable?” Mashburn asked.

Sramek cited a poll claiming that 81% of parents in Solano County do not believe that their kids will have a future in the county because of a lack of affordability.

“Our project is trying to do something about it, both by bringing better jobs here and creating more affordable housing,” Sramek said.

Princess Washington, mayor pro tempore of Suisun City, is also skeptical of the group’s desire to create affordable housing. She’s suspicious that the group’s real purpose is “to create a city for the elite” under the guise of more housing.

To build a city over what is farmland would ultimately be up to Solano County voters via approving a ballot initiative to allow for urban uses on that land. Currently, the purchased land is limited to only agricultural use.

California Forever plans to mail surveys to residents in the next two to three weeks and to open an office soon. The group also plans to release more detailed plans by January.

Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.