Suisun City probably doesn’t mean much. This low-key town is located an hour’s drive north of San Francisco, between the bay and the farmlands of Solano County. However, this is where the company California Forever intends to lay the foundations of an extraordinary urban project: transforming this medium-sized city into a small metropolis of 400,000 inhabitants by 2070.
Houses, factories and a shipyard
The announcement was made by the boss of the company, Jan Sramek, who already speaks of “ next big American city ”, just that. In a State where housing has become rare and very expensive, the argument is unstoppable: build a lot, in the long term, to loosen the real estate stranglehold.
On paper, the project is impressive. California Forever already controls more than 65 km² of land around Suisun City. The project provides for the gradual construction of some 175,000 housing units, but also of a huge industrial hub called Solano Foundry, presented as the largest advanced production park in the country. There would be added a shipyard, a brand new city center and a district dedicated to outings and leisure activities.
The idea, insists the developer, is not to create a simple “dormitory town”. Future residents are expected to live, work and play on site, with walkable neighborhoods and housing designed for families, rather than serial studios. The claimed references range from New York to Chicago. The increase in power is intended to be very gradual. If the project obtains all authorizations, the new extension would accommodate around 15,000 inhabitants around 2038, 150,000 ten years later, before reaching its final size several decades later.
A technical detail largely explains why this project is resurfacing today. Last year, the same team attempted to create an entirely new city in a non-urbanized area of the county. Problem: this type of operation would have required a local referendum. The plan had been withdrawn.
This time, the maneuver is different. By expanding an existing city — Suisun City currently has about 30,000 residents — the project can follow a more traditional procedure, validated by the city council and the local planning commission, without going through a county-wide vote. A simplification which does not fail to provoke a reaction from opponents.
Because the resistance is already there. Former elected officials and land planning specialists denounce a project deemed disproportionate, contrary to the planning principles in force for decades in the region. They also recall that the county will have to validate a tax revenue sharing agreement, an essential step before any final green light.
On the municipal side, the tone is more measured. Suisun City services confirmed that the file was complete and that an environmental impact study would be launched. A first public meeting was organized, just to take the temperature of the residents. Behind the slogans about the “return of the Californian dream”, the extension of Suisun City promises to be a long administrative and political soap opera.
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