Group Flannery Associates, backed by prominent investors, quietly buy 55,000 acres of farmland in northern California

After weeks of local speculation, the purchasers of 55,000 acres of northern California land have been revealed. The group Flannery Associates – backed by a cohort of Silicon Valley investors – has quietly purchased $800m worth of agricultural and empty land, the New York Times has reported. Their goal is to build a utopian new town that will offer its thousands of residents reliable public transportation and urban living, all of which would operate using clean energy.

  • AbouBenAdhem@lemmy.world
    7·
    1 year ago

    There has to be more to this story…

    If the distinguishing features are public transportation and clean energy, they’re probably not building it to live in themselves. And while there’s a big demand for more housing in the Bay Area generally, Solono County is a bit of a commute for current workers.

    It feels like they’re building this as a company town for some yet-to-be-announced new business project that they want to be isolated from existing urban areas.

    (edit) I guess I don’t mean “urban areas” so much as areas where employees would have contact with other Silicon Valley firms and culture.

    • ThrowThrowThrewaway7@lemm.ee
      1·
      1 year ago

      I mean there is this:

      “ The land bought by the firm encircles Travis air force base in Fairfield, a city of about 120,000 residents and home to the Anheuser-Busch Co brewery and the Jelly Belly jelly bean factory.”