A group of billionaires have scrapped their plans to build a new California city from scratch and unveiled a new alternative.
The real estate consortium, known as California Forever, initially planned to build a brand new metropolis in Solano County.
They began buying up parcels of land under a pseudonym in 2023, but this raised suspicion among locals.
Amid the controversy the group has now abandoned their original plans and revealed the project will be going forward as an annexation of an existing city.
California Forever CEO Jan Sramek, 38, said the group now intends to establish its development as an offshoot from nearby Suisan City, a small hub of around 30,000 residents.
Sramek unveiled a 40-year master plan to build the city on its new spot northeast of San Francisco.
The project has drawn in high-profile backers, including LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman, tech titan Marc Andreesen, and Steve Jobs’ widow and philanthropist Laurene Powell Jobs.
The latest plans will see Suisan City expand by 22,873 acres, including a 5,700-acre security buffer zone near Travis Air Force Base, reports Realtor.com.
The consortium have lauded the plans for their new megacity, and have designated at least 20 percent of the city to parks, trails, ecological habitats and community gardens.
The city’s proximity to Travis Air Force Base sparked concern among some locals who feared the quiet purchase of the land could be related to a foreign plot, similarly to the Chinese government buying American farmland in recent years.
But Sramek said that the land was bought covertly because the group did not want speculators to drive up land prices in the area.
The latest plans have been signed off by military leaders at the air force base, who say that construction would not interfere with its military operations.
Sramek has touted the proposed city as ‘the most walkable community in America’, and says it will feature an entertainment district, a new shipyard, and a tech-focused hub.
He says the design will combine New York-style street grids, as well as city designs from Barcelona and Tokyo, to make the city easy to navigate.
‘Like California’s fusion cuisine, we drew inspiration from the best designs from across the world to create something delightful,’ he said in an X post.
He also says the city will be more affordable for many, and will utilize ‘a small parcel fabric where lots of people co-create a real city.’
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