Jan Sramek has been spending the past few months trying to sell the idea of building a new California city on open farmland in an eastern corner of the San Francisco Bay Area to politicians, environmentalists, and labor unions. The project has the backing of several prominent Silicon Valley figures, including venture capitalists Michael Moritz and Marc Andreessen, LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman, and Emerson Collective founder Laurene Powell Jobs.
Mr. Sramek took his case to Solano County voters at an event on Wednesday evening, but the crowd was not convinced. Before the event started, protesters had gathered on the steps of the meeting site, the Vallejo Naval & Historical Museum, holding signs with messages such as “Transparency not trickery” and “Flannery Will Ruin California for EVER.” Attendees expressed concerns about the billionaire backers, potential displacement of current residents, and questioned the feasibility of the project.
Despite the pushback, Mr. Sramek remained composed and fielded questions, promising improved infrastructure, employment, and middle-class homes for the county’s 450,000 residents.
Many of the protest signs referenced Flannery Associates, a subsidiary of California Forever that has acquired over 50,000 acres of farmland in the past five years, raising speculation on its intentions until the backers were revealed by The New York Times. Attendees at the event expressed skepticism and raised various concerns, including potential traffic issues, interference with the nearby Travis Air Force Base, and the source of water for the new city.
The company would need to overcome several hurdles to realize its plans, including the need to amend Solano County’s slow-growth ordinance. Additionally, the project’s location in a rural area away from the Bay Area’s urban core has raised questions about the company’s intentions for sprawl.
During the presentation, Mr. Sramek tried to address concerns with promises about the project, its backers, and its potential impact, while emphasizing what the project would not entail. He highlighted the creation of construction jobs and hinted at other potential benefits, such as down payment assistance for homeowners and funding for local nonprofits.
The proposed development has sparked fear among some residents that it could lead to increased housing prices and potential displacement, reflecting the ongoing housing troubles in the Bay Area. Mr. Sramek argued that the region’s housing shortage requires a new approach to development.
Despite Mr. Sramek’s housing shortage argument aligning with past legislative debates, the project’s size, the involvement of wealthy backers, and the company’s past secrecy have overshadowed these policy discussions.
