A group of billionaire investors have paused a controversial proposal to build a new walkable city in Solano County. The project is on hold for at least two years pending the outcome of an environmental impact study.
“After a discussion between myself and Jan Sramek, the Founder and CEO of California Forever, we have agreed that they will withdraw their measure and not proceed with the election in November,” said Solano Board of Supervisors Chair Mitch Mashburn. “Instead, they will submit an application for a General Plan & Zoning Amendment and proceed with the normal County process which includes preparation of a full Environmental Impact Report and the negotiation and execution of Development Agreement. As part of the normal County process, California Forever will reimburse the County’s costs for this future work, including both staff time and external consultants.”
Monday’s surprise announcement followed the completion of a county-commissioned study. According to the report, the project would lead to annual fiscal deficits of $103.1 million for the county and $88.8 million for the fire district. The county would also lose $6.7 million in annual earnings from agricultural land due to rezoning, the report said. Further impacts could not be assessed, according to the county, because the project had been filed only a few months after the public became aware of it.
“California Forever knew that their guarantees were not binding,” said Solano Together, a coalition which is opposed to the plan. “They knew the impact of their proposal on traffic, Travis Air Force Base, the environment, agriculture, existing cities, and more. Instead of taking the time to deeply engage in a transparent process of what their proposal means to the county, they decided to deceive the public to try and get the initiative passed.”
The coalition added: “The people have spoken and California Forever has been forced to withdraw their hastily drawn, poorly designed initiative, given a surefire loss in November.”
Despite this loss, California Forever and its principal Flannery Associates remain the largest landowners in the county. The company’s next step is to submit an application for a General Plan & Zoning Amendment, which would be followed by preparation of a full EIR.