Something very mysterious is unfolding in the Bay Area — Solano County, to be exact. The whispers around town are growing louder about a shadowy buyer who has gobbled up a whopping 52 thousand acres. Locals are abuzz after receiving surveys that are asking their thoughts on a "new city with tens of thousands of new homes." Officials have verified the authenticity of these push polls that could be the very first glimpse into the secretive plans of a mysterious group called "Flannery Associates" and their new vision for a Bay Area empire. So, who is this group and what are they hiding? What grand designs are lurking in the shadows?

SF Gate:

The group, which incorporated in Delaware, where it is not required to name the people behind the business, has been the subject of speculation and even a possible government probe. Starting in 2018, Flannery began purchasing parcels of land from Fairfield to Rio Vista. (One of its first purchases was near Flannery Road in Rio Vista, possibly giving the group its name.) By its own admission, Flannery paid over the market rate to acquire that land, but in the years since, nothing has been developed on it. The group is now the largest landowner in the county.

The clandestine nature of the purchases — and the fact that Flannery's properties now flank three sides of Travis Air Force Base — led to concerns about national security. Rep. Mike Thompson, whose district includes parts of Solano County, told SFGATE last week he has been "pushing" the Treasury Department, the Department of Defense and the FBI to investigate the acquisitions.