FAIRFIELD, Calif. — Government officials are warning of a potential issue of national security in Solano County after a company has been strategically buying land for years and now owns land surrounding Travis Air Force Base.
Government officials say they don't know who Flannery Associates LLC are and what they want or are planning to do.
Over the past few days many residents were sent a survey about the company Flannery Associates LLC buying up land in Solano County. Some government officials say it’s all front and still have no idea who is creating this alleged new city and if that idea is even true.
Travis Air Force Base is the busiest Air Force Base in the country, and state officials are now concerned about security due to the land purchases.
Congressman John Garamendi, a member of the House Armed Services Committee says ammunitions are being shipped out ot Poland and then onto Ukraine from the base, calling it "absolutely critical” for the war.
Travis Air Force Base officials say they're aware of the land purchases and are working together with investigating agencies. Their full statement to ABC10 is below:
"We can confirm that base senior officials are aware of this land acquisition and are actively supporting all involved federal and Solano County agencies. We are unable to provide any specific information regarding land acquisition outside installation property. Please contact the U. S. Department of Treasury for more general information regarding land acquisitions and proposals in close proximities to U.S. Air Force bases."
People are still confused as to what or who owns Flannery Associates LLC. Garamendi thinks another country could be involved in the mystery.
“We have no idea where the $900 million came from to buy land at several times it’s nominal value,” said Garamendi. “We have a suspicion it may very well be Chinese money. That money may or may not be tied to the Chinese Liberation Army.”
The LLC is out of Delaware where they are not required to reveal business partners. There is no confirmation about who owns Flannery Associates or where any of their money to purchase the land comes from.
Solano County Administrator Bill Emlen says it’s highly unusual for his office to receive no communication from a buyer that large.
Now county residents have been receiving communication from Flannery and Associates in the form of a survey. Garamendi tells us they traced the survey back to a polling company in Nevada.
Screenshots of the survey show a market research campaign, about an initiative that might be on the ballot in Solano County next year.
According to the survey, they are asking residents to weigh in on forming a new city in the county with “tens of thousands of new homes, a large solar farm, orchards with over a million trees and over 10,000 acres of new parks and open space.”
The survey says the project would provide down payment assistance to county residents and would be funded entirely by private sector money.
“They are promising pie in the sky to people in Solano County and may soon try to put some sort of initiative on the ballot to secure their own idea of appropriate zoning and land use in the area,” said Garamendi.
Emlen says the Solano County Administrator's office learned about the housing proposal when the survey was rolled out to residents.
“There are major challenges to do that, particularly in the area we are taking about due to the lack of infrastructure out there," he said. "It would be a major undertaking."
The county says they have only had contact with Flannery and Associates through the county assessor’s office and few emails sent from the law firm representing them.
ABC10 reached out to the law firm representing them and have not heard back as of publishing.
