Developer of New Green City in Northern California Qualifies for Ballot

Solar panels are set up in the solar farm at the University of California–Merced in Merced, Calif., on Aug. 17, 2022. Nathan Frandino/Reuters

Billionaire developers hoping to build a new eco-friendly community in Northern California’s Solano County have collected enough signatures to qualify for the November ballot, the company announced on April 30.

Nearly 25,000 signatures were collected and submitted to the county’s registrar of voters by California Forever, the company behind the initiative, last week. Only about 13,000 were required to qualify the “East Solano Homes, Jobs, and Clean Energy Initiative” for the ballot.

A yes vote approves a general plan and rezoning of the land from agriculture to designations that would allow the building of homes, businesses, parks, solar farms, and more.

The group expects the county to take a month or more to verify the signatures.

Jan Sramek, founder and CEO of California Forever, said the past eight months have been “incredible.”

“Solano voters have made their first decision and they have made it loud and clear,” Mr. Sramek said at an April 30 press conference. “Over 20,000 residents have signed the petition to put this initiative on the Nov. 24 ballot.”

The 36-year-old Czech-born graduate of the London School of Economics has no experience in community development, but he wanted to solve the urban problems of San Francisco and was able to persuade several wealthy contributors, including prominent Silicon Valley investors, to help fund the project.

Mr. Sramek set up Flannery Associates, named for a small road in the area, and began buying up land anonymously.

“We’re here because we believe in Solano County,” Mr. Sramek said. “We believe in the talent here. We believe in the potential of this extraordinary place. And we’ve heard loud and clear from tens of thousands of residents saying that they are fed up with this malaise that has plagued California for the last 20 years.”

If passed, California Forever plans to bring 15,000 local jobs paying more than $88,000 per year, a $200 million commitment to invest in revitalizing downtowns in existing Solano cities, and $500 million in community benefits for down payment help, scholarships, and small-business grants for residents.

The group also says its “East Solano Plan” will help Travis Air Force Base by enlarging its security zone and providing homes that airmen and their families can afford. The plan would double the security buffer around the base where no development is permitted.

It is also expected to bring new opportunities for military spouses, and a new aerospace and defense innovation zone to the county, according to the company’s website.

California guarantees $400 million in down payment assistance to help Air Force personnel and other residents and their children buy homes in the community.

Questions about the development first arose when a mysterious company purchased large swaths of land near the Air Force base in July 2023. The purchase caught the attention of Rep. John Garamendi (D-Calif.), the ranking Democratic member of the House Armed Services Committee, who said it raised national security risks and wanted to learn more about the buyer.

The company has invested about $800 million in about 55,000 acres surrounding Travis Air Force Base since 2018. The parcel contains about 140 properties, including utility-scale commercial wind farms, transmission lines, substations, and other energy infrastructure, as well as many environmental conservation and mitigation projects.

The land is currently zoned agricultural. That would have to change to allow plans for the new development to move forward.

If plans are approved by voters and local officials, the project is designed to create affordable middle-class homes in safe, walkable neighborhoods, according to the company. It also includes a commitment to bring 15,000 good-paying local jobs to the county and a $200 million investment in revitalizing downtowns in surrounding Solano County cities.

The plan features neighborhoods centered around local shopping streets and schools, with small blocks of row houses and apartment buildings, where families can live within a short walk of most daily needs, including schools.

It also includes a requirement to use at least 4,000 acres for parks, trails, an urban ecological habitat, community gardens, and other open spaces.

The community is designed to provide transportation alternatives to cars, including walking, biking, and frequent transit service, according to the company’s website.

Some features planned for the development include the creation of solar farms for clean energy and a 700-acre Rio Vista Parkland between the new community and Rio Vista. The open space would be a shared resource with Rio Vista and is expected to eventually contain parks, sports facilities, and bike paths.

Travis Air Force Base initially had concerns over safety with the new development, but those were quickly resolved. The base withdrew its objections to the project.

“California Forever made significant changes to its plans in order to protect Travis’ global mission and local flight operations,” the base said in a Feb. 15 statement.

With the project’s revised proposal, Travis Air Force Base will be able to continue flying its full mission, including all operational, exercise, and local training flights consisting of multiple patterns and landings to all runways, including night vision goggle training, according to the base.