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Solano Together Coalition Opposes California Forever’s Plans for Sprawling New Development in Remote Solano County Farmland

Updated: Jan 25

January 17, 2024

For more information, contact:

Daniela Ades, dades@greenbelt.org, 1-415-792-9226


SUISUN CITY - The Solano Together coalition strongly opposes California Forever’s plans for a sprawling new development in rural Solano County announced this Wednesday. After years of secrecy, months of public controversy, and four months of rushed community engagement, Flannery Associates shared initial glimpses of their new proposed community in Southeastern Solano County.


For Solano Together, the details revealed today did not come as a surprise: California Forever continues to be a senseless sprawl development in a remote, undeveloped part of Solano County. These types of projects divert much needed public and private resources away from cities and residents, leaving existing infrastructure to degrade and residents to suffer.


Flannery Associates are going for the “christmas tree” approach for the proposal, trying to sprinkle financial benefits to specific interest groups around the County in a way that distracts from the negative impact of the proposal on water, county resources, traffic, and taxpayers in existing cities.


Jobs: We’ve seen countless development proposals adopted by cities around the region with promises for jobs, only later to go back to ask for modifications in the proposal based on a change in market conditions. And we also know from experience that nearby cities are often in direct competition for companies and services that do want to locate in an area. Vallejo, Fairfield and Vacaville have all invested significant resources in attracting new jobs to their community. Flannery’s incentives to lure those jobs away from the population centers of the county to this new development will only harm our communities and reduce opportunities for existing residents. Based on this track record, the idea of 15,000 new jobs in this area is an empty promise.


Taxpayer Money: The plan purports to be a new approach to development, but its physical location—far away from jobs, services, and infrastructure—points to more of the same, investing scarce public funds in expanding infrastructure rather than investing in improvements for long-time residents. Flannery Associates’ proposal spins their small investment in infrastructure upgrades, such as roads and water pipes, as a huge benefit to the community, when the project relies on millions of dollars of public investment for new roads, sewer and water, and schools, funds that will need to be diverted from other priorities.


What Solano Together Coalition supporters are saying:


“Buying up farmland at low prices and rezoning for housing development has been a quick way to make a buck for decades in California. The plans we’ve seen fly in the face of decades of thoughtful planning and action that was first set into motion to protect Solano’s cherished agricultural industries. Developing highly productive ranch lands into urban uses cannot be undone. We cannot continue to allow developers to put food security, long-term sustainability, and livelihoods on the line in exchange for short-term profits.”—Solano Farm Bureau.


“California Forever has no real plans for public transportation or transit. This development is going to clog our streets, highways, and bridges. It will make our climate worse by paving over farmlands—all while making Solano residents pay the cost”—Duane Kromm, member of the Orderly Growth Committee and former Solano County Board Supervisor.


“California Forever’s proposed plans are a detriment to wildlife, native plant life, and water resources that our ecology and communities depend on. We need to protect Solano County’s open space now and for the future. You don’t need to be an environmentalist to ask: ‘What sort of world are we going to leave our future generations?’”—Princess Washington, Mayor Pro-Tem of Suisun City & Chair of the Sierra Club of Solano County.


“Sprawling developments such as California Forever don’t just permanently destroy nature, habitat for wildlife, and farm and ranchland. These developments also divert much needed public and private resources away from cities and residents. Instead of abandoning our existing cities for something shiny and new, we believe the truly visionary approach would be to make transformative investments in them, improving the lives for both current and future residents.”—Sadie Wilson, Director of Planning and Research at Greenbelt Alliance.


"Flannery Associates’ plans to take surface water from the Sacramento River and/or pump groundwater from the Solano subbasin to support a whole new city would further stress critical water resources in Solano County and the Delta, and threaten to undo recent progress made to manage water resources sustainably and responsibly for future generations."—Osha Meserve, Lawyer specializing in water and environmental impacts.


"I see nothing in the plans that protects Travis Air Force Base. California Forever’s promises mean nothing if Travis is forced to close due to housing encroachment, glare from 10,000 acres of solar farms, and noise complaints from new residents where sheep now graze. In fact, they aren't building a city, they’re sprawling housing over 18,000 acres without legally creating a city. That could very well endanger Travis’ mission."—Catherine Moy, Mayor of Fairfield


Solano Together’s top priorities are to drive growth, development, and economic investment into the county’s existing cities and protect the invaluable agricultural and environmental resources that are central to our community and industries. California Forever fails to do that by doubling down on a pattern of sprawl development that endangers the livelihoods of the agricultural community and taxes Solano’s crucial natural resources such as water, land, habitats, and ecosystems.


8 Comments


Guest
Aug 02

Can the public, or this group request a feasability study and traffic impact study to include Californioa Forever's project and the proposed Lagoon Valley Rd project with probably over 1400 homes and traffic from the proposed Casino in Vallejo at the intersection of I-80 and Marine World exit or the proposed warehouse by the RR tracks in Suisun. How can we get a traffic study to include these projects and be able to submit a resident survey with our traffice issues? One of the problem areas in Suisun is the x-street of Walters and hwy 12 because it sometimes backs up when people are turning left onto hwy 12 from Walters Another problem is speeding and running red…

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Guest
Aug 02

This resource on traffic may help. See pages 82 and 95 and 96. 3 intersections on hwy 12 are ones with high accident rates. Other traffic info is provided. https://sta.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Solano-Countywide-Local-Road-Safety-Plan-1.pdf

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Guest
May 22

So happy to hear of your fight against this sprawl. Don’t believe any of it. They will pocket the money and move on to ruin yet another community, all the whole destroying the natural world. It’s happening all over in Florida. The Villages is a prime example. And developers there already have plans to replicate it and cut up the entire state. Sprawl. Light pollution. Huge impact of the fragile ecosystem. FIGHT BACK AND SAY NO!

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Guest
Feb 01

The tendency to extreme responses is common, but still distorts reality. It says here that Flannery has no plans for water, transportation, etc., when in fact their plan has a lot to say about this. Arguing that Travis will have to close is just ridiculous and makes it hard to take these comments (from the mayor!) seriously. There is plenty of room for honest debate, but "the sky is falling" hysterics aren't helpful.

Edited
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Guest
Jul 04
Replying to

As for Forever Californias plans for improving transportation infrastructure they have only made a vague commitment to “pay their fair share” for improvements of Hwy 12 between Suisun and Rio Vista. Nothing about Hwy 113, the Rio Vista bridge or Hwy 12 east of Rio Vista.

The also haven’t explained how their going to find water for this (or who they plan on stealing it from).

I have seen NONE of the specifics that I would require to satisfactorily answer that question.

How much is Flannery paying you anyway?

And who exactly are the shadowy figures behind Flannery?

The whole thing doesn’t pass the smell test!

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Guest
Jan 26

I oppose. The way they are going after local farmers is hideous. CF's new development will be for thee, not me.

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