California Forever
 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Real estate development |
| Founded | 2017 |
| Founder | Jan Sramek |
| Subsidiaries | Flannery Associates |
| Website | californiaforever |
California Forever is an American corporation founded by Jan Sramek. California Forever is the parent entity of Flannery Associates. In August 2023, the company announced plans to build a new walkable city of up to 400,000 people in southeastern Solano County, near the San Francisco Bay Area, California. The project's investors are primarily Silicon Valley billionaires.
History
Czech Republic-born entrepreneur Jan Sramek founded California Forever and its subsidiary Flannery Associates in 2017.[1][2] 97% of the company's funding comes from American investors, with the remaining 3% coming from British and Irish investors.[3]
The development of the project was described as a five-year "stealth campaign" by the The Real Deal.[4] During that time, the company purchased 50,000 acres of land in Solano County, California for an estimated $900 million.[5] The company's website claimed that the project was kept secret to prevent speculation from driving up real estate prices.[6] The secrecy surrounding these acquisitions led to widespread media speculation.[7]
As of September 2023[update], the land is zoned for agricultural use only and is subject to slow-growth laws.[8] 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.[9]In January 2024 the company released its proposed city plans and the ballot initiative coming to voters.[10]
After its announcement, state and federal officials expressed concern over the proposed city's proximity to the Travis Air Force Base, citing potential security risks.[11] The project has received opposition from local ranchers, who accused the company of canceling long-standing foraging leases and suing local ranch owners who refused to sell their property.[12]
Investors
On 25 August, 2023, The New York Times reported that the company's backers include the venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, as well as 9 prominent Silicon Valley investors:[7]
- Michael Moritz, former partner at Sequoia Capital.
- Laurene Powell Jobs, founder and chair of the Emerson Collective; window of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs.
- Reid Hoffman, co-founder of LinkedIn.
- Marc Andreessen, co-founder of Andreesen Horowitz.
- Chris Dixon, general partner at Andreesen Horowitz.
- Patrick Collison, co-founder and CEO of Stripe.
- John Collison, co-founder and President of Stripe.
- Nat Friedman, former GitHub CEO and investor.
- Daniel Gross, partner at Y Combinator.
Planned development
The site is located approximately 60 miles northeast of San Francisco.[7] 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.[8] The proposed city would include residential homes, a solar farm and public parks.[13] Part of these plans include the renovation of Highway 12. [citation needed]
The original architectural designs for the city, released on the company's website, showed Mediterranean architecture and streetcar infrastructure.[4] The designs were criticized by some news publications as lacking detail and being unrealistic,[14] and were compared to the futuristic city of The Jetsons.[15]
The project has received widespread criticism from local residents and officials.[16][17] 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.[8] 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.[13] Its potential impact on neighboring communities in the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta has also been cited as a potential drawback.[8]
References
- ^ "Company behind Solano County land grab says 2008 law will decide 'California Forever'". abc10.com. 2023-09-04. Retrieved 2024-01-26.
- ^ Dougherty, Conor. "The Farmers Had What the Billionaires Wanted". The New York Times.
- ^ Robles, Sergio (2023-09-02). "California Forever, the company behind land purchases in Solano County". The Hill. Retrieved 2023-09-24.
- ^ a b Staff, T. R. D. (2023-09-03). "California Forever: Billionaire-Backed Utopian Plans Unveiled". The Real Deal. Retrieved 2023-09-24.
- ^ "The Botched Reveal of California Forever". The Information. Retrieved 2023-09-24.
- ^ "Company behind Solano County land grab says 2008 law will decide 'California Forever'". abc10.com. September 4, 2023. Retrieved 2023-09-24.
- ^ a b c Dougherty, Conor; Griffith, Erin (2023-08-25). "The Silicon Valley Elite Who Want to Build a City From Scratch". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-04-21.
- ^ a b c d Nolte, Carl (2023-09-09). "Why the California Forever dream of a new city would be a nightmare". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2023-09-24.
- ^ "'California Forever': Billionaires want to build a new city in Solano County. It'll be up to voters". KCRA. 2023-09-01. Retrieved 2023-09-24.
- ^ "California Forever announces city plan, proposed Solano County ballot initiative". abc10.com. 2024-01-17. Retrieved 2024-01-26.
- ^ "'California Forever': Company behind land purchases near Travis Air Force Base launches website, details plans". Fox 59. 2023-09-02. Retrieved 2023-09-24.
- ^ "Ranchers decry 'arrogant' Silicon Valley billionaires buying up land for 'fantasy' city near San Francisco: 'We are now totally surrounded'". Fortune.
- ^ a b "Tech titans' vision for a new city in Northern California raises concerns". France 24. September 3, 2023.
- ^ King, John (2023-09-01). "Here's everything that's wrong with renderings of new California city fueled by tech money". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2023-09-24.
- ^ "The Botched Reveal of California Forever". The Information. Retrieved 2023-09-24.
- ^ Anguiano, Dani (2023-09-02). "Plan for 55,000-acre utopia dreamed by Silicon Valley elites unveiled". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 2023-09-24.
- ^ Davis, Wes (2023-09-03). "'California Forever' website touts the city tech billionaires are trying to build". The Verge. Retrieved 2023-09-24.