C
alifornia Forever, a land acquisition firm, has made an unsolicited offer to purchase up to $1.5 million worth of property owned by Suisun City in a formal letter to the city's mayor and council. The offer comes ahead of talks between the city and the company on whether to annex land owned by California Forever, which initially planned to build a new city on over 65,000 acres in southeast Solano County.

    The letter also includes an offer for a $55,000 grant to help prevent the cancellation of community events due to the city's projected $1.3 million budget shortfall. The company is interested in acquiring several downtown properties, including the historic Lawler House and the Suisun Harbor Theatre.

    Suisun City had previously put out requests for proposals to acquire and develop the Lawler House parcel, which was appraised at $100,000 with its current structure. An outside consultant valued the undeveloped parcel at $150,000.

    The city and California Forever are also discussing annexation of land on the borders of both Suisun City and Rio Vista. The two cities have signed a memorandum of understanding on long-term planning and have engaged in talks with California Forever about annexing its property.

    California Forever has faced criticism for its secrecy in the past, but more recently has pursued a shipbuilding facility in Collinsville. The company had initially planned to incorporate a new city east of Travis Air Force Base, but pulled its ballot measure ahead of the 2024 election.

    Suisun City Manager Bret Prebula said that talks with California Forever are still in the early stages and would likely include the city incorporating 15,000 to 20,000 acres over 40 years. The agreement would also reimburse the city for staff time and other costs associated with the annexation process.

    The City Council is scheduled to consider an annexation reimbursement agreement with California Forever at its next meeting on Tuesday. If finalized, the annexation process would begin in earnest and could take between 18-24 months before a plan is finalized for consideration by the county's Local Agency Formation Commission.