JLL Study Highlights Solano Foundry's Manufacturing Potential

SOLANO COUNTY, July 17, 2025 – JLL today announced the release of a new study titled “People, Power, Place: Making Solano Foundry the new home of advanced manufacturing in California,” which highlights Solano County’s potential role in America’s manufacturing renaissance, a revitalization fueled by structural shifts in global supply chains, transformative federal investments and record levels of reshoring activity. The whitepaper specifically examines the ability of California Forever, which owns over 68,500 acres in Solano County, including a proposed 2,100-acre, 40 million square feet advanced manufacturing park —the Solano Foundry— to drive the next wave of American industrial innovation

The research shows that by 2030, approximately 60% of U.S. manufacturers are expected to nearshore or re-shore their operations to boost supply chain resiliency and be more responsive to customers’ needs, as the U.S. repositions itself as a global manufacturing leader. As the largest manufacturing state and the world’s fourth-largest economy, California should be leading the American manufacturing renaissance, but it is losing ground to other states. JLL’s report offers a data-driven perspective on how California can capitalize on this defining moment.

The research evaluates Solano Foundry across three key themes that inform site selection for advanced manufacturing companies: People, Power and Place, and examines the project’s potential to secure the state’s economic future through significant investment in advanced manufacturing. The site was studied against six industrial parks within California and Northern Nevada and seven mega-industrial parks across the United States.

Key insights from the report include:

● People: Solano Foundry benefits from both a skilled local manufacturing workforce and access to the talent pool working in the Bay Area’s innovation hubs. Moreover, the East Bay and North Bay regions have a significant available labor pool; there are 6.1 unemployed manufacturing workers per job posting.

● Power: California Forever’s new city plan includes over 2 GW of renewable and baseload power through on-site generation and interconnection, and over 5,000 GWh of battery storage, providing ample and affordable generation. The broader California Forever holdings include natural gas and wind generation, and multiple transmission lines and substations, creating the potential for Solano County to become an energy hub for the broader region.

● Place: The 2,100-acre Solano Foundry presents a large-scale opportunity to create an advanced manufacturing cluster, with unique competitive advantages, including clustered ecosystems where R&D can be located near manufacturing to accelerate innovation, streamlined permitting with approval as fast as 90 days, and space for fast-growth companies to scale flexibly and sustainably, just an hour from Silicon Valley and close to Travis Airforce Base. Further, the proposed new city will offer attractive middle-income homes in walkable neighborhoods for the workforce.

“We are witnessing a generational shift in how and where things are made, and for the first time in decades, U.S. manufacturing is becoming more regionalized,” said JLL Location Intelligence & Labor Analyst, Joel Woodmass. “The data shows that California Forever’s proposed ecosystem reflects the scale of vision needed to attract modern industry: world-class infrastructure, underutilized land in immediate proximity to Silicon Valley, and a commitment to workforce housing and sustainability. We believe that Solano Foundry      is one of California’s strongest opportunities to revitalize its manufacturing sector and bring more manufacturing jobs to the state.”

While Solano County is advantageously located next to prosperous economic centers, data indicates the region struggles with job creation, leading to long commute times and a persistently higher unemployment rate compared to neighboring counties. The planned Solano Foundry has the potential to transform the local economy with approximately 60,000 jobs and billions in economic activity, boosting wages and productivity while simultaneously integrating Solano County more fully into the regional economy.

The project also co-locates advanced manufacturing with the proposed Solano Shipyard, positioning Solano County as a competitive hub for innovation across multiple industries. The Solano Foundry has the potential to tap into the existing ecosystem around Travis Airforce Base and help diversify the base's focus from its current emphasis on logistics towards research and development.

JLL’s new Advanced Manufacturing Group, formed to advise developers, investors and occupiers in this evolving landscape, is working with California Forever to align manufacturing demand with real estate strategy and regional planning.

JLL’s leasing team will be co-led by Vice Chairman Greg Matter with additional support from Executive Managing Director Jason Ovadia, Senior Managing Director Matt Bracco, Regional Leasing Lead Sarah Mancuso and Local Intelligence and Labor Analytics Joel Woodmass.