California Forever pulled its ballot measure for a planned city in rural Solano County on Monday, just one day before it was up for a vote by county supervisors.
Founder and CEO of California Forever Jan Sramek said the company will be back in 2026 for approval after working with the county on an Environmental Impact Report and Development Agreement.
The project's ambitious timeline initially called for a 2024 rezoning of thousands of acres in the eastern part of the county before completing the report and agreement. Under California Forever's vision, the rezoning would allow for a city of up to 400,000 people, thousands of jobs and walkable, middle-class neighborhoods.
But now, the company will swap those steps and start with the report and agreement over the next two years.
Solano County Board of Supervisors Chair Mitch Mashburn called the efforts to put the measure on this year's ballot a "mistake" that "politicized the entire project."
"Delaying the vote gives everyone a chance to pause and work together, which is what is needed - not a fight between friends throughout the County on both sides of the issue," Mashburn said.
The plans, which are backed by a variety of wealthy Silicon Valley tech investors, faced sharp criticism from environmentalists and Solano County residents.
Solano Together, one citizen initiative that first mobilized against the project in February, described the project as "hastily drawn" and applauded the decision to withdraw it from the November ballot.
"The people have spoken and California Forever has been forced to withdraw their hastily drawn, poorly designed initiative, given a surefire loss in November," the organization said in a statement.
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