California Forever and Suisun City will finalize a reimbursement agreement within 30 days to ensure city costs are covered in their expansion plans.
SUISUN CITY, Calif. — Suisun City took a key step toward regional planning Tuesday night, joining Rio Vista in a new agreement that could shape the future of development in Solano County — including the proposed California Forever project.
California Forever is the controversial proposed new city located between Rio Vista and Travis Air Force Base that has embroiled Solano County residents for the last year. After pulling their measure from the ballot, the proposed city and its CEO Jan Sramek are seeing a warmer welcome from partners this time around.
Suisun City and Rio Vista entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) so the two cities can move forward together to discuss regional planning. The memorandum includes monthly staff meetings and bi-annual joint public meetings between the two city councils. With the MOU, the two cities acknowledge their shared interest and commit to good faith negotiations when discussing priorities like water, traffic and Travis Air Force Base and more.
RELATED: Another Solano County city is open to talks with controversial California Forever
“As we plan for the growth of Suisun City, it's crucial that we do so through a thoughtful and collaborative regional approach," said Suisun City Mayor Alma Hernandez. "We have an incredible opportunity right now to change the trajectory of our cities by shaping smarter and more sustainable development that benefits not only our residents but the surrounding communities. This kind of partnership ensures we're prioritizing local needs while creating a stronger foundation for shared prosperity."
The cities will remain independent with their legal processes for annexing land. Each city will negotiate their own agreement with California Forever. ABC10 spoke with Suisun City about their Exclusive Reimbursement Agreement.
“We are going to be working on an agreement to have our fees be repaid to us and also the time our staff has spent up to this point and any future time, so it’s not on the taxpayer dime. That was a big concern to me and the taxpayer,” said Councilmember Amit Pal.
As far as a timeline, the Exclusive Reimbursement Agreement deal will be put together in the next 30 days between Suisun City and California Forever and presented at City Council on May 20.
According to the city, the agreements will outline clear commitments from California Forever, and they are negotiating the full reimbursement for city staff time and associated costs necessary to support the planning and entitlement efforts.
California Forever would then present to the city how they want to develop the land. According to Suisun City Manager Bret Prebula, there would be a period of public comment regarding that proposal. Before a deal to develop or annex land can be reached Prebula anticipates the next 24 months will be spent gathering information, surveys and studies. This would include hiring consultants for things like water and traffic to evaluate the plan California Forever submits.
Even if Suisun City Council approves a development deal with California Forever, outside agencies, like the Local Agency Formation Commission, would still have to approve it. Prebula said the process could take at least a year.
To be clear, the city has not agreed to annex their land yet, and entering this Agreement does not mean they have to move forward.
California Forever provided the following statement about the potential deal:
“We look forward to working with Suisun City, Rio Vista, and Solano County to bring new industries, amazing neighborhoods, and new sources of tax revenue to the region.”