| California Forever | |
| Type: | Private |
| Industry: | Real estate development |
| Founded: | 2017 |
| Founder: | Jan Sramek |
| Subsid: | Flannery Associates |
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, near the San Francisco Bay Area, California. 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]
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 American 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 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.
, the land is zoned for agricultural use only and is subject to slow-growth laws. 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.[8] In January 2024 the company released its proposed city plans and the ballot initiative coming to voters,[9] however the ballot measure was withdrawn in July 2024.[10]
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:
California Forever has stated that its investors are not involved in everyday operations.
The site is located in Solano County approximately 60miles northeast of San Francisco.[11] 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,[12] 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. 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]
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. 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. Its potential impact on neighboring communities in the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta has also been cited as a potential drawback.
In May 2023, Flannery Associates filed an anti-trust lawsuit against several landowners accusing them of illegally conspiring to raise prices of their land. 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]