Futuristic 400k-person ‘utopia’ city revealed by shadowy billionaire group looking to transform huge chunk of California
A GROUP of billionaires has released the plans for a new city to be built in the Golden State that some are calling a utopia
The city is planned to be built in Solano County, California, 60 miles northeast of San Fransico by the landowning group California Forever.
Solano residents will be able to vote on whether to build this new city come November under the name East Solano Homes, Jobs, and Clean Energy Initiative.
California Forever is currently the largest landowner in the county, and it plans to build the city on a 17,500-acre site, just over half the size of San Francisco.
In a video advertisement funded by the landowning group, they address some potential concerns, namely where such a city could be built.
They said that the new development would be put on “some of the worst for agriculture in Solano County. Land where for years, nothing much has been able to grow.”
The community would be built between Rio Vista and Fairfield, accessible off Route 12.
This initiative is what California Forever calls an organic expansion, which maintains that all cities should eventually experience duplication.
As a city grows, people are forced to expand outward, creating areas like urban suburbs.
Eventually, this overflow cannot handle the city’s population or their needs, making international duplication necessary.
California Forever plans to tackle a litany of public issues from economic struggle to climate concerns with their new endeavor.
They plan to “build a dynamic new community, with middle-class homes in safe, walkable neighborhoods, good-paying jobs in advanced manufacturing, renewable energy, construction, and other industries, and clean energy.”
According to the plans released by the group, the city will have designated areas for varying uses.
To the furthest east will be residential space, with commercial areas mixed in, then moving west will see space for manufacturing, industry, and technology, before finally hitting open space that borders the Travis Airforce Base land.
In drawing up the plans, the company intentionally avoided “sensitive habitats” with their ecological ethics in mind.
Their plan also stipulates that over 20% of the land will be used for parks, trails, natural habitat retention, and other open space uses; this land totals nearly 4,000 acres.
In tackling their economic goals, the community is said to be focusing on supporting middle-class residents, promising $400 million in down payment assistance for residents and 15,000 new jobs with “good pay in manufacturing and tech.”
DYSTOPIA IN HIDING
This most recent plan is the third submitted by California Forever, and residents of Solano County have varying concerns over the potential new city.
On the company’s website, investors state that it is a “myth” that this new community is meant to be a “tech utopia.”
“We intend to show that it is still possible to create a new walkable & safe community. We do not think of this as ‘backward looking’ nor is it ‘futuristic’ or ‘utopian’. The principles of compact growth and walkability are timeless,” they wrote.
However, their informational website has not provided all the information that residents require, claim some locals.
Sadie Wilson of the Greenbelt Alliance said in a statement that many other community concerns are not being answered, reported the Daily Mail.
“In this third version of the initiative, there continue to be no answers for how this project will be delivered — just more questions,” she said.
“I think we have the opportunity to come together to overcome barriers to building in our seven cities rather than count on this project to bring the solutions we need.”
In her eyes, this new city is an abandonment of those metropolitan areas already constructed and struggling through economic crises and crime plagues.
“They have continuously failed to work with community members and public agencies and have produced an initiative that has very little substance when it comes to project delivery,” she continued.
“We need climate-smart housing solutions now, and building a new city far from jobs and transit is not how we will get there.”
Others have concerns over how this initiative will be funded.
Representative John Garamendi, a Democrat from District 8 said that current residents will be footing a large part of the bill via their taxes.
“If this project goes forward, Solano County taxpayers will foot a large part of the bill,” he said.
“This is a lose-lose scenario for Solano County, and we cannot allow it to move forward.”
INSIDE CALIFORNIA FOREVER’S MASTERMIND
The 36-year-old billionaire and financial savant Jan Sramek leads California Forever and its current initiative.
He came into the beginning of his fortune during his 20s as a stock market trader in Goldman Sachs’ London location.
He demonstrated a high aptitude for academics at a young age, eventually graduating from the London School of Economics.
At 22, Sramek set records as the youngest financier named to the Financial News list of 100 “Rising Stars.”
Two years later, he quit his trading job and dropped out of the public eye, relocating to California.
Sources say that he began working on his plan for California Forever in 2017.
In a December town hall with over 150 ranchers, Sramek faced allegations from residents that his growing Silicon Valley firm was displacing locals.
His company was also pursuing $510 million worth of legal action against the farmers for “price fixing” by colluding with each other to raise the cost of their land to impede his efforts.
“I believe we have been extremely reasonable in wanting to have a discussion, and it has been you and your family who don’t want to do this,” Sramek told Margaret Anderson, who is named in the lawsuit.
She did not back down, citing her family’s rich history in the area.
We are not hoping to settle, because we do not want to sell our land. We are hoping that you will drop the lawsuit,” she said.
“Will you commit to dropping the lawsuit against the local farmers who are not aligned with your vision, in a goodwill attempt to change the way that you are interacting with our community?”
He denied the request, which led to a chorus of boos and landowners voicing their distaste for his actions.
His firm must gather 13,000 signatures on their newest proposal for it to be brought to a vote come November.
