A ballot initiative backed by billionaires to build a new eco-friendly community in northern California approximately 17,500 acres, has gained enough support to be listed on the county’s Nov. 5 election ballot.
Tim Flanagan, chief information officer and registrar of voters in Solano County, announced on Tuesday that the initiative had garnered a sufficient number of signatures from voters within Solano County—14,832—to make it onto the ballot.
Dubbed the “East Solano Homes, Jobs, and Clean Energy Initiative,” the measure asks voters to approve the rezoning of agricultural land to designations that would allow for the development of a “dynamic new community” spanning approximately 17,500 acres in the county, which is in the San Francisco Bay Area.
California Forever, says the project will not only result in the creation of “middle-class homes in safe, walkable neighborhoods” but also lead to 15,000 well-paying jobs in renewable energy, manufacturing, construction, and other industries.
Along with new housing, the area will consist of shopping streets, schools, parks, sports facilities, community gardens, bike paths, and the largest solar farm in California, combined with a regional battery storage facility, according to its backers.
A minimum of 13,062 valid signatures from voters registered in the county is needed for the request to qualify for the ballot. The Solano County Registrar of Voters began reviewing the signatures submitted by California Forever, the company backing the project, in April.
Backers Pledge Millions in Investments
Additionally, the plan to build the area includes $500 million in community benefits and a $200 million commitment to invest in “revitalizing” downtowns in existing Solano cities, according to the group California Forever, which is backing the East Solano plan.
“Let’s say YES to homes we can afford, jobs in our backyard, and clean energy that can provide opportunity to all in Solano County,” the group said.
Project Promises ‘In No Way Guaranteed’
On its website, California Forever states that the East Solano Plan is the result of “extensive community engagement process with Solano County residents, including hundreds of meetings 1-on-1 and in small group meetings, large town halls, mail and phone surveys, and thousands of conversations at the door.”
However, not everyone has welcomed the plan, with some local leaders as well as environmental groups raising concerns about how the new city will impact agricultural land in the area.
Among them is Rep. Mike Thompson, a Democrat representing California’s 4th District, which includes parts of Yolo and Solano counties, who published an op-ed against the project in Daily Republic, a local newspaper in Fairfield, California, in April.
Mr. Thompson also pointed to the “dramatic increase in costs this project will have on taxpayers,” whom he said will “be required to foot the bill for the significant increase in public services rewind for a project of this size.”
“I strongly support efforts to increase the number of good-paying jobs, implement clean energy, and provide opportunity for our region,” he wrote. “But these efforts require sound public policy that works with our community, not lavish promises that may never be realized.”
The Epoch Times has contacted a spokesperson for California Forever for comment.
