There definitely seems to be a sea-change in the air, related to the direction of this country . . . including California.
Take, for instance, California Forever, the Silicon Valley tech billionaire-backed plan to build a new city outside San Francisco. It went so far as to become a ballot initiative.
The plan is supported by Bay Area tech investors and venture capitalists, including the co-founders of LinkedIn and Netscape, seeking to transform the wheat fields 50 miles north of San Francisco into a futuristic city.Organizers hoped to use the ballot measure process to win approval in Solano County more quickly, bypassing much of the red tape and planning requirements typically involved in such projects.
The dream is part of a globalist ideal that appears to be packaged along the lines of a “15-Minute City” and promises to be convenient, environmentally friendly, and an ideal community focused on social cohesion.
However, residents and regional leaders have concerns about he potential loss of agricultural land and nature areas, questions about water supply, and worries over changes to the region’s rural character. The ballot measure has now been pulled after the release of damning report on the realities of this utopia.
The [Solano County] report, issued July 18, said infrastructure such as roads for the project and public facilities like schools and parks, plus related expenses, would cost an estimated $6.4 billion for the first phase of development and nearly $50 billion to complete the new city.The report said costs to the county and the local fire-protection district would outstrip revenues, leading to millions of dollars in deficits every year. The now-withdrawn California initiative gave no clear indication of where the money would come from.Construction, according to the report, would lead to years of “lower traveling speeds, decreased roadway safety, and increased incidence of significant injury and fatal accidents.” Loss of farmland would cut agricultural production by an estimated $6.7 million annually, the report said. It is unclear where California Forever would get needed surface water for the new city, the report said.
Who knew California politicians could be fiscally responsible! This is a stunning development.
However, the project has not been entirely scrapped. The “California Forever” team are targeting 2026 to offer a new ballot measure, after the environmental impact has been assessed.
The delay announced on Monday was part of a joint agreement between California Forever and Mitch Mashburn, a member of the Solano County board of Supervisors. In a statement, Mr. Mashburn said that “while the need for more affordable housing and good-paying jobs has merit, the timing has been unrealistic.”The agreement means that a ballot initiative, which the company had hoped to put before Solano County voters this year, will not appear on the November ballot as planned. California Forever said it would instead spend the rest of this year and next preparing an environmental impact report and trying to craft a development agreement with the county.The project would still have to go before voters to win final approval.
The county will also expect “California Forever” to jump through a few reality-based hoops.
Mashburn said California Forever must confirm to county officials how it would provide water and solve transportation challenges.“And show us the financial engineering that makes it possible to pay for billions of dollars of infrastructure,” Mashburn said, “without increasing our taxes and while delivering a net tax surplus to our county.”
It turns out that Utopia is expensive.
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