California Forever seeks annexation in Suisun City’s expansion plan

Suisun City Manager Bret Prebula announced Tuesday that Suisun City has received an application for annexation from developer California Forever. After an initial review process, staff have deemed the application materials complete, Prebula said, making them eligible for the next steps of the city’s review, which could take anywhere from a few weeks to several months.

“The next step in this process is for the city to deep dive into the draft plans, conduct environmental, technical and financial analyses, and to negotiate the terms and plans for development detailed within the application,” the city posted on its social media accounts. “These studies will help refine the proposed Suisun Expansion Specific Plan to ensure it meets the needs of Suisun residents and includes everything the city desires.”

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Prebula said that the city has been pleased with the California Forever so far in the process.

“Really appreciate the work that California Forever has done to this point,” Prebula said in a video posted to Suisun City’s social media accounts. “In the months that we have been having really high-level conversations with them about our interest with jobs, housing, and transportation, and the need to have open space as a part of this process, along with other big picture items, they have really listened. We expect this continued dialogue and negotiation as the project evolves, but so far, very, very happy with the work product and really hearing Suisun City, our needs, our concerns, what we would like to see in the region.”

Prebula said a scoping meeting to begin the Environmental Impact Report will be held within the next month and a half. From there, he said, chapters will be reviewed by the city as they are completed and will ultimately be released as a draft EIR for public comment.

The city’s next community conversation on the topic is scheduled for October 27 at The Vault, where JLL will present an analysis to the community on the benefits of the proposed Solano Foundry for both Suisun City and the entire region, Prebula said.

The application’s cover letter, signed by Founder & CEO Jan Sramek and Head of Planning Gabriel Metcalf, anticipates the city’s leadership through the LAFCO process and discussions with other governmental entities on the local, state, and federal levels.

“We believe this project will bring to Suisun City and Solano County more broadly a major new employment center, including special focus on advanced manufacturing at the Solano Foundry, major new investments, a new source of tax revenue, and a multi-decade supply of new homes in well-planned, walkable neighborhoods for a wide range of people,” the letter reads.

The application includes a General Plan Amendment covering the proposed annexation, a Specific Plan for the expansion, and an Area Plan for the space between the development, existing portions of Suisun City and other locations in the area, including Travis Air Force Base and Lambie Industrial Park.

“In these two areas, land uses would remain unchanged from what’s currently permitted by Solano County,” the letter explains.

The letter notes that the company does not intend to develop east of Highway 113 until after 2050 to complete the full buildout. Before then, development west of the highway will include 65,217 new homes, the Solano Foundry industrial park, a downtown, and an entertainment district.

“We recognize that we have much more work ahead of us to complete the technical reports and environmental analysis, the LAFCO annexation process, and the many permitting processes needed to get this project built,” the letter reads. “We look forward to working with you on those over the coming months.”