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Suisun City hopes to gobble up chunk of proposed California Forever city

Officials look to annex 23K acres of planned Solano County enclave

Suisun City Proposes Annexing California Forever City
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Key Points

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This summary is reviewed by TRD Staff.
  • Suisun City is proposing to annex nearly 23,000 acres of land in Solano County owned by California Forever, where the firm plans to build a new city.
  • The annexation, if successfully done through Suisun City Council, would allow the project to move forward without a vote from Solano County residents, circumventing California Forever's previous plan to put the issue to voters in 2026.
  • The Suisun City Council just approved a reimbursement agreement with California Forever, ensuring the company will cover all upfront costs for the city's exploration of the proposal and provide $10 million in early public benefit payments.

A chunk of California Forever’s proposed new city in Solano County could become part of neighboring Suisun City. 

Suisun City documents released June 6 reveal that officials are recommending the city annex nearly 23,000 acres of farmland owned by California Forever where the firm wants to build its walkable city, KQED reported. In January, the Suisun City Council voted to explore the possibility of annexing California Forever’s unincorporated land. 

Of the 22,873 acres Suisun City wants to incorporate, about a quarter would be preserved as a buffer zone between California Forever’s development and Travis Air Force Base northeast of the city. Two-thirds of the annexed land would be set aside for new neighborhoods, office and commercial buildings and open space, as well as an additional 1,410 acres for an industrial park.

Suisun City Mayor Alma Hernandez said the possible addition of jobs and housing to the suburban enclave would be a “generational opportunity that will most likely never come again,” per KQED. Many Solano County residents currently commute outside the county for work. 

The land pickup would circumvent a go-ahead from local voters on California Forever’s so-called East Solano Plan. Last year, California Forever withdrew an initiative seeking voter approval for the project from the November 2024 ballot. In July, company CEO Jan Sramek said he planned to put the issue in front of voters in 2026 after completing an environmental impact report and securing a development agreement with the county. 

Suisun City’s plans to gobble up the land could put the kibosh on voters having a say in whether the project moves forward. 

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In response to criticism that Suisun City could be going behind Solano County residents’ backs to hammer out a deal, city manager Bret Prebula said it’s not a “trick that someone’s trying to backdoor things.” As a result, Prebula said, California Forever would get “a governance and a culture from cities that is hard to do when you just do master-planned communities without it.”

The Suisun City Council voted Tuesday to approve a reimbursement agreement with California Forever, allowing the city and the company to continue exploring the proposal. 

The agreement ensures that California Forever will fully reimburse the city for all upfront costs including staff time, consultant services, legal and environmental review, public outreach and required agency coordination. It also ensures that California Forever will provide early public benefit payments totaling $10 million for the community. 

The deal “provides a comprehensive and enforceable framework that secures both upfront financial commitments and significant post-entitlement benefits for the city, while preserving the city’s authority and ensuring accountability from the developer,” Prebula said in a statement

Chris Malone Méndez

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