Billionaires' Mysterious Plan To Build New Solano City Draws Blowback

SONOMA COUNTY, CA — Community tensions over a secretive, billionaire-funded plan to build a new city in rural Solano County reached a crescendo recently after a community survey revealed more details that have many neighbors and local leaders uneasy.

As the Los Angeles Times reported Thursday, Flannery Associates has spent the last five years purchasing 55,000 acres of undeveloped land around Montezuma Hills, including large swaths surrounding Travis Air Force Base on one side and bordering the city of Rio Vista to the east. After spending more than $800 million, the company is now Solano County's largest landowner.

Last week, The New York Times revealed some of the project's key financial backers, including prominent Silicon Valley billionaires like Reid Hoffman, co-founder of LinkedIn, and venture capital investor Marc Andreessen.

According to the Los Angeles Times, a survey sent to residents last week spelled out plans for a new city with tens of thousands of homes, a large solar farm, new orchards, parks, and one million trees. The scope of the plan has some officials and property owners on edge about the level of infrastructure needed to support a new city and the impact major development would have on farmers and the environment.

Local mayors and lawmakers say they've been largely kept in the dark about the project, which could also run afoul of existing zoning regulations and California's Land Conservation Act, the newspaper reported. Often, their language has been direct.

"Flannery Associates is using secrecy, bully and mobster tactics to force generational farm families to sell," said Rep. John Garamendi (D-Walnut Grove) during an informal hearing Tuesday.

After meeting with the company's founder this week, Rep. Mike Thompson (D-St. Helena) released a statement Wednesday echoing community concerns.

“After the meeting, it is clear that they don’t have a plan; they have a vision," Thompson said. "The secrecy under which they operated caused consternation and concern from residents, local elected officials, and federal agencies, and while they explained their rationale, I do not believe the secrecy was necessary. Honesty is the best policy, and they need to begin to work with our community and local leaders if they want to advance their ideas."

According to The New York Times, in order for the project to ever come to fruition, it would likely require Solano County voters to get the last word at the ballot box.

>> Read more in the Los Angeles Times.