When California Forever pitched residents on its ambitious plan to build a new city on eastern Bay Area farmland at a town hall meeting last December, Sam Houston was on the fence. He assumed it would result in a sleepy suburb where, much like other cities in Solano County, residents would commute toward Silicon Valley for work.
Then, his wife gave birth to their first child, and his perspective shifted.
“Especially having a son, [I think about] 20 years from now — is my son, Jasper, going to find a place here?” he asked. “Jasper being born definitely makes me think about the future and take it more to heart.”
The proposal from California Forever had been set to go before Solano County voters in November, but after months of controversy, testy debates between residents and millions of dollars spent on campaigning, the company announced on Monday that it was pulling its initiative from the ballot. Company representatives plan to try again in two years after working with county officials to publish an environmental impact report and development agreement.