The East Solano Homes, Jobs, and Clean Energy Initiative

Later today, January 17th, we will file our ballot initiative with the Solano County Registrar of Voters. You can read the full initiative we are submitting here. The initiative proposes to build a dynamic new community, with middle-class homes in safe, walkable neighborhoods. The plan also includes a commitment to bring good-paying jobs in advanced manufacturing, renewable energy, construction, and other industries, as well as large investments in education, green spaces, clean energy, and the revitalization of downtowns across the county.

The initiative also creates a new Travis Security Zone, by nearly doubling the size of the current buffer from 7,971 acres in the 2008 General Plan to a new total of nearly 15,000 acres, where no residential or commercial community development is permitted. On the east side of the new community, the initiative creates the Rio Vista Parkland, a 712-acre open space that preserves the unique character of each community, while creating a shared open space resource with parks, sports facilities, and bike paths. The new community is located entirely on non-prime farmland, and intentionally avoids the county's most sensitive habitats, including Jepson Prairie, Suisun Marsh, and Cache Slough.

We worked with the Solano community to design something wonderful. Today, we’re excited to share the details of the proposal with you, and are looking forward to working closely with everyone to make this plan a reality. To introduce the initiative, we published two blogposts. The first one details the terms of the initiative. The second blogpost explains why we believe a new community is needed, and why we think we can make it a great place to live.

"I'm excited by this new community to come. It'll be wonderful for Solano County now, and for its coming generations."

Annie Vogelpohl
Fairfield, CA

"I support the initiative because this kind of walkable community is what we need in the world. We need a new vision for the future!"

Radhika Lynette Kaplan
Vallejo, CA
Community Organizer

Ten Guarantees

The East Solano Homes, Jobs, and Clean Energy Initiative includes an unprecedented set of ten guarantees.

Solano Jobs Guarantee

We will bring 15,000 new jobs to the community that pay at least 125% of the average wage in Solano County. The community won't be able to grow beyond 50,000 residents until we've fulfilled that commitment.

Solano Homes for All

We will provide $400 million in community benefits funding to help Solano County residents buy homes in the new community, and to build more affordable homes. If $300 million is allocated to the downpayment assistance, that's enough to provide 6,000 Solano families with $50,000 each towards their downpayment.
Solano Scholarships

To ensure Solano County residents can take advantage of new jobs created by the new community, we will provide $70 million in community benefits funding to help Solano residents pay for college, vocational training, or to start or expand a small business.
Green Solano

We are providing $30 million in community benefits funding for protecting open space and natural habitats, improving public parks and trails, and supporting Solano's agriculture economy, including family farms and agricultural workers. We are excited to work with the Solano community to help identify priorities for this funding, to nurture our county's strong connection to its lands.

Solano Downtowns

In addition to the $500 million in community benefit funding, we'll guarantee to invest $200 million in renovating or building homes, offices, shops, and other mixed-use buildings in downtown areas of Benicia, Dixon, Fairfield, Rio Vista. Suisun City, Vacaville, and Vallejo. Through this guarantee, we'll become a part of invigorating buildings & businesses in the many wonderful downtowns of Solano cities.
Smart Growth Guarantee

Our initial commitments are to provide $500 million in community benefits funding and $200 million for investments in Solano Downtowns over the build out towards 50,000 residents. But our commitment to Solano does not end there. If our community grows beyond 50,000 residents, all of these financial commitments will continue to scale up in proportion to the growth of our community. We are excited to grow with Solano, and be a good neighbor for generations to come.

Water Guarantee

Before the first brick is laid, we guarantee to prove our own water availability through the highly regulated, state-mandated process of Water Supply Assessment and Water Supply Verification. This process is regulated by the state, and requires us to prove that we have actual water we can deliver to our households and employers, for many decades going forward, including during drought periods.
Transportation Guarantee

We'll provide right of way for upgrades to Highways 12 and 113, including the Rio Vista and Dixon bypass, and pay more than our proportionate share of cost to do those upgrades.
Schools Guarantee

We guarantee that we won't just pay developer impact fees that leave school districts in a tough place, with new students overcrowding facilities. Instead, we commit to build 100% of our own schools, in the community, from day one. Our community will still remain in the existing school districts – we just guarantee that we will build new schools by the time the first children move in.

Solano Taxpayer Guarantee

Our project will pay its own way through the tax revenue it generates. We commit that the infrastructure, public facilities, and services required to serve our project will be constructed and operated at no cost to Solano taxpayers, except for those who live in the new community. This guarantee is built into the initiative in multiple places, and as with all of our ten guarantees, it is legally binding.

"California Forever’s goal to build homes on a large scale is a huge blessing to every Millennial & Gen Z renter who might one day want to own their own slice of the American Dream, but are concerned about their ability to buy a home in California. I’m excited to see the progress as the project moves forward!"

Jason Russell
Dixon, CA

Timeline

November 2024 - The Ballot Initiative

In November 2024, the ballot initiative will come up for approval by Solano County voters. They will have the chance to vote for thousands of good-paying local jobs, middle-class housing options, safe & walkable neighborhoods, and many other community benefits within the ballot initiative, all secured by our Ten Guarantees.

2025/2026 – Environmental Impact Report and Development Agreement

After ballot approval, the initiative requires us to complete a full Environmental Impact Report under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), and negotiate and execute a development agreement with Solano County.

During this time, the initiative also requires us to conduct a full community engagement process with Solano residents to help create the allocation, eligibility criteria, and governance for the community benefits guarantees: Solano Homes for All, Solano Scholarships, and Green Solano.

During this phase, we would also begin design work on some of our initial neighborhoods. The initiative includes strong safeguards for ongoing community input, including requiring that we publish all plans for new developments in advance, and provide venues for the Solano community to provide input on each neighborhood as it's being built.

"I’m excited for this project because it is a rarity to hear of developers wanting to build a community that enhances the direction California is heading. California Forever is great for Solano County."

Tim White
Vacaville, CA
Reverend

Latest news about the project

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Want to live here, work here, or collaborate with us in any other way? We would love to hear from you. If you would prefer to email us, please do so at [email protected]. For press inquiries, please email [email protected].

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