In Northern California, the promise of a utopia scares people.
In Solano County, about 100km from San Francisco, investment group Flannery Associates has been quietly buying up large chunks of farmland for several years. The investment (about $800 million) made the company the largest landlord in the county and caught the attention of the FBI and the US Armed Forces (which has an air base nearby).
“People in my district are understandably concerned,” State Senator Bill Dodd said in a statement. “We don’t really know what’s going on because the investors haven’t shared anything with the locals.”
The senator points out that rumors circulated that the intention was to build a new city. That proved true last week when California Forever (the parent company of Flannery Associates) released a plan for the utopia they want to build on the more than 20,000 acres they acquired in Solano County.
on the sitewhich was announced last Thursday, the group has released several illustrations of what it promises to become a “fully sustainable community,” as well as “opportunity for a new community, well-paying local jobs, solar-powered housing, and open spaces.”
Aerial view of a newly purchased plot of land near Travis Air Force Base (August 29, 2023)
Justin Sullivan
As pointed out by the GuardianThe revelation comes after the group came under increasing criticism over the secrecy surrounding the project. The identity of the investors was completely unknown until the appearance of the newspaper The New York Times published an investigation on July 25 Which revealed the intention of the group.
According to the American newspaper, the project is led by Jan Ceramic, a former trader at Goldman Sachs. Michael Moretz, Reed Hoffman, Marc Andreessen, Chris Dixon, Lauren Powell Jobs, Patrick and John Collison, Daniel Gross, and Nat Friedman are some of the investors behind Flannery Associates.
In response, the company clarified its confidentiality on the new site. “Until now, our company has been secretive about its activities. Understandably, this has generated interest, concern, and speculation. “Now that we are no longer bound by secrecy, we look forward to starting a conversation about the future of Solano County,” the group wrote.
But the damage appears to have been done, and the New York Times article added to the controversy surrounding the project. This is when, in the month of May, Flannery Associates has already been in the news By suing the landowners, alleging an “illegal price-fixing conspiracy”.
Already this Friday, Mayor Fairfield (a nearby town of 120,000) he told The Daily Beast With other members of the local government to develop a “basic plan”. This isn’t the first time an out-of-county group has tried to build a new town in Solano, recalls Catherine Moy (who says she learned of the land purchase four years ago).
In 1984, a real estate developer tried unsuccessfully. The idea of building entire cities from scratch isn’t entirely new in California, with the New York Times noting that “housing has long been an intractable problem, and Silicon Valley moguls have long been frustrated by the housing shortage in the Bay Area and America.” The difficulty of building in California in general, where the workforce has exploded.” The San Francisco Bay Area, where Solano is headquartered, is one of the most expensive areas to acquire a home.
“It’s not the first time we’ve been to a rodeo,” says Catherine Moy. “The only thing I can say that Flannery has done is they’ve brought us together. By that I mean citizens, environmentalists, other builders, politicians – all together.” . To build a wall to stop Flannery.
“Wannabe internet buff. Future teen idol. Hardcore zombie guru. Gamer. Avid creator. Entrepreneur. Bacon ninja.”
More Stories
Discover the other brands selected – Executive Summary
Volkswagen California gains more space and hybrid mechanics | Engines – new
Declining revenue from fuel taxes forces unpopular measures – Executive Summary