California Forever CEO gives 1st tour of land purchased in Solano County
For the first time since a company purchased tens of thousands of acres of land in Solano County, the man behind the mystery gave a tour of the land he bought.
California Forever is the group comprising Silicon Valley billionaires, and they have spent some $800 million to buy more than 50,000 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 that would include open space, agriculture, solar farms and habitat conservation.
Jan Sramek, the founder and CEO behind California Forever, spoke with KCRA 3 about his vision of bringing the California Dream to Solano County.
He said the biggest misconception about the project is "the idea that we are trying to build some kind of utopia."
"We’re just trying to build a great, walkable community that everyday residents of Solano County and other places can live in," he said.
The group Flannery Associates got its name because one of the first land purchases six years ago was on Flannery Road.
Sramek said he used to go fishing on the Delta and moved to the area with his wife and child earlier this year.
His goals have not been met without challenge. Officials with the county have explained that building 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 intended only for agricultural use.
Another argument toward keeping the land's current use is that the land use policy is centered around the protection of Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield.
Sramek, in mid-October, attended a town hall where he took questions and concerns from community members.
At that town hall, Sramek argued that the new community would help address affordable housing.
He told KCRA 3 that the goal is that people who build the community could live there, too.
Sramek claimed to have water rights "sufficient to build a community, and we're looking at acquiring additional ones."
"We would build our own water treatment plant, sewer treatment plant, all of the infrastructure we would build ourselves and fund ourselves, so that it doesn't strain any of the other communities," he said. "The same would be the case for power and gas and all of those infrastructure elements.”
California Forever recently announced a new 21-member advisory committee with people from all industries and walks of life in Solano County.
California Forever is also hosting town halls in all cities in the county and opening offices in Vacaville, Vallejo, Rio Vista, and Fairfield, where people can go to learn more.
Correction: A previous version of the story incorrectly stated that Princess Washington, Mayor Pro Tem of Suisun City, attended a town hall with the California Forever CEO.