A city called California Forever is the new planned utopia of Silicon Valley’s elite

For several years in Silicon Valley, one can see how a section of its elite has been quietly buying up farmland in northern California. In recent weeks the group behind this effort, Flannery Associates, launched a website for the initiative, posting a series of solar renderings showing Mediterranean-style homes and walkable, bikeable neighborhoods.

Prior to the release of these materials, no one knew exactly who was behind the purchase 55,000 acres of farmland and vacant land in southeastern Solano County, about 60 miles from San Francisco. The land purchased by the company stretches mainly between Fairfield, home to 120,000 residents as well as the Anheuser-Busch Co brewery and the Jelly Belly jellybean factory, and the small town of Rio Vista.

On its website, California Forever-the parent company of Flannery Associates, founded by Jan Sramek-claims that to build a “complete and sustainable community” it needs a large land settlement and says it cannot share its plans until it has finished acquiring the properties to avoid “reckless short-term land speculation.”

So their dream would seem to be to create a new city with homes of various sizes and costs, with walkable neighborhoods close to stores and schools, and open space around the community, according to the website. California Forever also states how the project could bring “thousands of permanent, well-paying local jobs” and a large solar park.