Location Chosen For Healdsburg SMART Station

HEALDSBURG, CA — Trains, as they did 100 years ago, will again stop at the historic train depot site in Healdsburg once the new SMART station is completed at the site, the Healdsburg City Council decided late last month.

The Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit heard back from the City of Healdsburg about where the station should be located.

"We are 63 percent funded for the Healdsburg station; that is a significant amount of funding, so much that we have been in conversations with the city about where they want their station located," Julia Gonzalez told Patch in a phone interview Monday.

"The City Council made a decision, they would like their new station to be located in the historic train depot," Gonzalez said. "That is one of the most important parts about building out the SMART rail line, that this line has been in operation for nearly 100 years and this has been an opportunity to refurbish it."

West Plaza Site Vs. Depot Site

Determining the station location was crucial for planning the extension from Windsor north to Healdsburg. In addition to the depot site on Hudson Street, potential station locations included a downtown site adjacent to the city parking lot on Vine Street between North Street and Matheson Street, called the West Plaza site.

City staff advised the City Council that since the impacts from the West Plaza site were not clearly defined and community feedback indicated a strong preference for the current planned location on Hudson, there was not a clear motivation for relocating the station to the West Plaza site.

At its Feb. 20 meeting, the Healdsburg City Council heard from numerous community members and weighed the pros and cons of the two options. After thorough discussion, the Council confirmed past decisions to locate at the historic depot site on Hudson Street.

Leading up to the decision, city staff and two council members participated in a guided ride to view firsthand the Petaluma and Larkspur stations, where they walked the equivalent distance from the Hudson site to the Healdsburg Plaza. The distance from the Larkspur Station to the Ferry terminal has proved challenging for potential riders with limited mobility and offers an example of the importance of station placement. The walk to the Ferry terminal is less direct, slightly longer, and has a greater elevation difference than the walk from the Healdsburg Depot to the Plaza.

Community Input

A community workshop held in October was well attended and provided valuable feedback, city staff said. Based on their observations, attendees were primarily Healdsburg residents rather than representatives of local businesses or other stakeholders. The attendees who shared a preference largely preferred the Hudson site, although there was some support for the West Plaza site as well. The community’s concerns mostly fell into several categories which are summarized below by city staff.

Traffic Impacts

The number of train trips through the roundabout was of high concern to the community. SMART’s planned level of service is up to 38 —19 in each direction — weekday trips per day and 16 weekend trips per day. SMART staff have indicated the city has the option to request reduced service levels. Gates will be down for approximately 60-90 seconds at each crossing. At most times of the day, the traffic impact is expected to be negligible, though during the morning and evening traffic volume peaks the impact has not been analyzed in detail and would require a traffic study to fully gauge the impact.

It is important to note that when passenger service extends to Cloverdale this impact will occur regardless of the station location. There is no schedule for when service will expand north, but SMART is committed to building the full route as approved by voters.

If the station was located at West Plaza, both Matheson and North Streets would remain open during passenger loading and unloading. Many workshop participants expressed concern there would be more traffic congestion if the station was located at West Plaza. This cannot be quantified without a traffic study. Choose a location for the future, not current conditions.

Several residents commented that trip generators and destinations may change as the South Entry Area, Central Healdsburg, and Northern Healdsburg develop.

Transit Coordination

Many comments in support of the Hudson station were related to the vision of a multiuse transit hub as identified in the Central Area Healdsburg Plan (CHAP) and previous station planning documents, or how the future station will connect with existing transit. Unfortunately, a traditional transit hub on Hudson Street may not be feasible. Sonoma County Transit has made it clear that they will not run regional (Route 60) buses to this area, though they could run the smaller (Route 67) local bus to this location. The larger buses will not use the undersized Memorial Bridge, thus making access to the area inefficient. Additionally, the turns to Harmon and Hudson streets and the curves make travel difficult for large buses.

The West Plaza station could include the construction of a bus pullout. SCT, Amtrak and private coach bus services could reroute to this site to create something similar to a hub. The construction of a bus pullout would likely eliminate six existing on-street parking spaces on Vine Street.

Microtransit

Regardless of location, a microtransit system could be provided to improve access to the station. The Healdsburg Plaza, a major destination for many trips, is approximately 700 feet from the proposed West Plaza station and 1,800 feet from the Hudson station. Walking distances over a quarter-mile (1,300 feet) may deter some transit riders. SMART, through prior experience and industry standards, recognizes this as an impediment to some users and believes the West Plaza station location will maximize ridership. Most comments from the community meeting indicated the walk from the depot was not a major concern, though people with limited mobility, those carrying luggage, and winter conditions of darkness and inclement weather may result in fewer people willing to use the train if the station is at the Hudson site and Downtown is their destination.

Since future ridership destinations and sources are not fully understood, it is hard to determine if the Plaza should be used as the primary destination for determining walking distances. For example, development across the Russian River as part of the South Entry Area or once the North Entry Area is fully built and occupied could become a future destination or source of riders. Regardless, a shuttle, bike share, or other form of "last-mile" transportation will support access to either station location. Exploring microtransit is included in the city's Climate Mobilization Strategy and staff is currently investigating funding models and options.

Foss Creek Pathway

If the station is built at West Plaza, staff anticipated the loss of many mature trees and green space, due to the realignment of the Foss Creek trail and removal of parking within the rail right of way. Improvements at the Hudson site can be accommodated within the rail right of way and would have little impact.

Parking

The West Plaza station requires realignment of the tracks which will result in the removal of existing parking spaces within the West Plaza Parking Lot, which are in the railroad right of way. SMART estimates 30-50 spaces will be removed, though this too cannot be confirmed until the preliminary design is completed. Some private parking spaces, which are leased from SMART, south of Matheson Street in the current rail right of way may also be removed due to necessary rail realignment. It is unclear if these spaces may be impacted if the station is located on Hudson when the rail is extended to Cloverdale.

Additionally, SMART has indicated that approximately 50 spaces in the West Plaza lot or within walking distance of the SMART station would be necessary to serve the station. Putting that into perspective, the West Plaza Parking lot contains approximately 351 spaces, 45 of which are committed to Hotel Healdsburg, leaving 306 available to the public. Through the lease agreement with the Swenson Building another 127 are committed to remain open for their parking demand but are not exclusive to that property, leaving 179. If 30 spaces are eliminated for station construction and another 50 are dedicated to SMART users, that leaves 79 uncommitted parking spaces open to the public. There is parking capacity available at City Hall after approximately 70 new parking spaces were added in 2019. The Foley Family Pavilion will construct 41 additional public parking spaces, though there will be times, particularly during events, when those parking spaces will be unavailable. Parking impacts to the neighborhoods surrounding the plaza and on-street parking near the station are expected.

If the station is at Hudson, there are 48 existing spaces which should be adequate to meet station parking needs, but overflow parking could impact the neighborhood. It should be noted there is a vacant lot owned by the county that was envisioned as additional parking to serve SMART. Currently, the county intends to use the lot for a community garden under a three-year lease to the nonprofit organization Farm-to-Pantry so its availability is uncertain.

The demand for parking at the station will depend on multiple factors, including station location and the balance of inbound vs. outbound riders. Based on Healdsburg’s role as both a tourist and employee destination, the parking demand in downtown Healdsburg may be mitigated by the arrival of SMART. Dedicated spaces for SMART could be weekday-only, opening up more parking spaces for weekend demand.

Housing And Jobs

The location of a station relative to housing and jobs was also discussed frequently at the community meeting. There are approximately 652 housing units within a quarter-mile of the Hudson station and 393 within a quarter-mile of the West Plaza station.

When expanded to a half-mile they are nearly equal with 1,450 at Hudson and 1,509 units around the West Plaza station. Jobs increase as you move north of the existing depot to the downtown area and continue north. There are more jobs nearer to the West Plaza site. It is worth noting that the quarter-mile radius for both locations overlaps, limiting the distinction in proximity to jobs and housing.

SMART provided the following information from the Census LEHD Job Flow report (2021):

• There are approximately 40 percent more jobs in the one-fourth mile Downtown station area versus the Depot station area (1,159 jobs in Downtown v. 774 jobs in Depot area)

• Approximately 355 workers commute into the Depot station area versus over 1,100 for the Downtown station area.

• There are also approximately 40 percent more commuters from outside Healdsburg commuting to the West Plaza station area versus Hudson.

• Of the jobs in both areas, a higher proportion of jobs in the Downtown station area are lower income ($3,333/month and under)

• The Downtown station area has nearly 5 times the number of Accommodation and Food Services workers as the Depot area (144 versus 705).

Connecting South-Of-The-Tracks Residents To Downtown

The neighborhood encompassed by Ward Street, Adeline Way and Palm Avenue lacks direct bike and pedestrian routes to areas north of the tracks. There has been discussion regarding how the station location may improve connectivity. If the Hudson Street site is selected, it is assumed that a bike/ped crossing at the station is feasible, though how that crossing, if allowed, will connect remains unclear.

If the station is located at West Plaza, SMART stated that creating a crossing of the tracks to the Ward neighborhood is still possible, but must be approved by the California Public Utilities Commission. A pedestrian-only, at-grade crossing not at a street is unique and may be difficult to get approved.

The CHAP envisioned a new roadway, designated as Railroad Avenue, to connect Ward to Adeline and continue northerly to connect with Branch Lane within the Mill District. The proposed Railroad Avenue is completely within SMART right of way and requires a transfer of property rights. Until the use of the wider portion of the rail right of way near the historic depot is clarified, it is uncertain whether Railroad Avenue is possible. Regardless of the station location, staff believes that the Railroad Avenue extension is worth pursuing to enhance connectivity.

Existing Depot Buildings

There is a clear interest in renovating the existing depot buildings and putting them to use. The buildings are on rail right of way and owned by SMART and will not be used for passenger rail regardless of the station location. SMART does not intend to fund or lead the renovation of the buildings but is unlikely to object to a city-funded project to repair the buildings.

The city has no current funding or plans for the buildings. Having the historic depot building adjacent to a new station was desired by some commenters, however, uses that generate parking could conflict with rail passenger parking if the station is located near the depot. Staff believes that basic cosmetic improvements — at a minimum — would be appropriate and beneficial for making the location a welcoming destination for riders.

Environmental Stewardship

Transportation makes up approximately 60 percent of Healdsburg's greenhouse gases (GHG) profile. Of that, approximately 95 percent of transportation GHG emissions are from on-road transportation. Healdsburg's Climate Mobilization Strategy calls for public transportation programs that achieve 10 percent of public transit mode share by 2030. The arrival of SMART in Healdsburg offers a key opportunity for a mode shift in the community. Higher ridership on the rail system can be directly correlated with GHG reductions for Healdsburg and either station will result in GHG reductions.