A planned California development backed by billionaire venture capitalists is shifting its focus from becoming the next great American city to instead becoming a major manufacturing center after its plans to incorporate a new city in Solano County were thwarted by local opposition. Project organizers said they now are planning to build the largest advanced manufacturing park in the country, according to a Bloomberg report.
The 2,100-acre tract with proximity to Silicon Valley will help California reverse years of deindustrialization and reclaim its legacy as a center for technology and defense industries from aerospace to shipbuilding, the report said, calling it the "latest sales pitch" for the development that has struggled to win regulatory approval and community support.
The development could be modeled after China’s massive industrial complexes that produce products such as drones and electric vehicles. The property’s proximity to Travis Air Force Base and a planned shipyard may bolster its attractiveness to aircraft and maritime vessel developers, said the report.
In addition to sidestepping local opposition, the shift comes at a time when manufacturing efforts are earning the support of the Trump administration, including a beefed-up defense budget. Solano Foundry also will recruit tenants in artificial intelligence, robotics and energy, project organizers said.
Originally, California Forever planned to build a futuristic city including 175,000 homes and supporting 250,000 jobs on 68,500 acres of farmland assembled over the past eight years for more than $900 million. Investors include venture capitalist Marc Andreessen, former Sequoia Capital Chairman Mike Moritz and social-impact investor Laurene Powell Jobs, the Bloomberg report said.
The project has since withdrawn its plan to incorporate a new city, which would have required a public referendum, and the current plan is for the unincorporated land to be annexed by nearby Suisun City, according to the news outlet.
California will now have to publish an environmental impact report before construction can begin as early as 2028. The master-planned community is expected to take 40 years to build out.
California Forever founder and CEO Jan Sramek said he hopes Solano will turn around The Golden State's reputation, where he claims nothing can get done because of regulations and red tape. Real estate brokerage Jones Lang LaSalle Inc., which is managing leasing for the site, reiterated that hope.
“We believe that Solano Foundry is one of California’s strongest opportunities to revitalize its manufacturing sector and bring more manufacturing jobs to the state,” said Joel Woodmass, an analyst with JLL, said.
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