Rohnert Park Getting Closer to Moving SMART Station to Future "Downtown"

Looks like Rohnert Park may get what it wants after all: The Sonoma Marin Area Rail Transit Board voted unanimously Wednesday on a range of cuts that would impact Novato and Petaluma, but here it's likely that the multi-use path will stay in tact, and the planned Golf Course Drive/Wilfred Avenue train station could be moved to Rohnert Park Expressway and Seed Farm Drive, near the library.

An April 6 report from SMART that compared the advantages and disadvantages of moving the train station from the north end of Rohnert Park to a more central location — an option the City Council — was weighted heavily in favor of the Rohnert Park Expressway location, near the library and public safety department. 

The city has been about developing a downtown there.

According the the report, the primary advantages of the proposed Wilfred Avenue station site are: more parking available, good freeway access, an ability to serve neighborhoods south of Highway 12 in Santa Rosa, good access to the Northwest Specific Plan Area and proposed future casino, and a lower overall cost.

But, the scope of the plans for the SMART focus on transit-oriented development — that is, transportation hubs, housing and business built to encourage alternative transportation modes like biking and walking. Housing that's concentrated near the train station would give people the option of not having to drive, and the north end station only has 810 housing units nearby, compared to 2,800 by the library.

The Wilfred station does have its disadvantages, the report states.

"The half-mile radius around the station has relatively few housing units ... and the area is also not very pedestrian-oriented, given the adjacent freeway interchange and the relatively low density of residences in the immediate station vicinity."

The newly proposed station would be at Rohnert Park Expressway and Seed Farm Drive, just west of the railroad tracks. The property, which ranges between 60 and 100 feet wide, is owned by the city, so it would have to be made available somehow to SMART. Additionally, it would cost an additional $110,000 for additional environmental and site reviews. 

The details of the alternative location are unclear: Whether the land would be sold to SMART or leased is up in the air, and who would bear the cost is undetermined.

"We expect the City Council to take up this issue soon," said SMART spokesperson Chris Coursey.

Disadvantages of the Expressway station include proximity to the Cotati Station (about a mile away), less parking spots and further from Santa Rosa, according to the report.

"The station is also tangibly more expensive overall than a station at the existing Wilfred/Golf Course location," it stated. But, "both station locations would be compatible with SMART’s planned train operations. Both would involve the use and/or acquisition of city property for parking and drop-off activities, both could provide an adequate amount of parking and both could have a connection to the Sonoma County Transit bus services."

"I'm still hopeful that there will be action taken by the Rohnert Park City Council to request relocation from Golf Course Drive to Rohnert Park Expressway and that has the potential for changing [transit-oriented development] numbers significantly," said Vice Mayor Jake Mackenzie, who also sits on the SMART board.

SMART Moves Forward with Other Proposed Cuts

The SMART board of directors Wednesday unanimously approved $88 million in construction cost reductions to the proposed commuter train project between the two counties.

The cost reductions are in response to a $109 million gap between revenue and the estimated construction and operating costs of the project's 37-mile initial segment between downtown San Rafael and Railroad Square in Santa Rosa. The cost of that segment is estimated at $433 million.

The original rail line and bicycle and pedestrian path was to run 70 miles between Cloverdale and Larkspur at a cost of $695 million. The project is financed in part with a quarter-cent sales tax approved by voters in both counties in 2008.

The district attributed the deficit to reduced revenue from the sales tax and the issuance of bonds to pay for the project. The district said it hopes to complete the entire 70-mile line by 2018 when revenue is available.

The San Rafael-Santa Rosa segment is to be completed around 2014. To save the $88 million, the board approved 10 cost reductions at today's meeting in Santa Rosa. They include deferring the construction of the Atherton Station in Novato and the Corona Road Station in Petaluma to save $5.3 million and $11.5 million, respectively, and building only two-thirds of the bike and pedestrian path to save $14 million.

Deferring the replacement of the Haystack Bridge in Petaluma would save $15 million, and reducing the scope of the operations and maintenance facility would save $15 million. Not installing a fiber optic communications system and a closed circuit television system would save nearly $8 million.

If more funding becomes available, the district will add the 10 items to the project on a priority basis. The top three priorities are the Atherton Station, the fiber optic communications system, and fare ticket vending machines. Several people spoke against making the $88 million cuts.

They said voters approved the quarter-cent sales tax on the assumption the entire 70-mile rail line and pathway would be built. Some called for a public vote on whether the rail project should even be built. Others asked the board to postpone making the cuts and proceeding with the issuance of bonds until the district selects a new general manager and its finances improve.

"I voted for the train in 2008, but I now have voter remorse and would vote against it today," one woman wrote in a letter to the board. Another speaker called the train project "an economic disaster." She said anything less than the full 70-mile line is comparable to "bait and switch."

Board member Al Boro made the motion to make the cost reductions. He said the train project remains a public asset and an alternative to U.S. Highway 101, which is congested through the two counties.

Board member Shirlee Zane took aim at critics who call the project "a train to nowhere."

"I don't think the sixth largest city in the state is 'nowhere,'" she said referring to Santa Rosa.

“We are moving Sonoma County in the right direction,” said SMART boardmember Debora Fudge at Wednesday’s meeting. “We are creating jobs and we are creating transportation alternatives that up until now have not been available to us…Our vision is becoming a reality.”

"The people who need this most are the ones who are not here today," said SMART director and Sonoma County Supervisor Shirlee Zane. "They are disabled, they are seniors, they are working, these are all people who need public transportation. And what this whole project is about is providing better public transportation and connectivity."

The board also unanimously approved a resolution authorizing and approving the issuance of up to $200 million in sales tax revenue bonds to help pay for the project.

SMART Interim General Manager David Heath said the actual bond sale is a few months away and the district expects to get bids on the project in early or mid-July.

-Bay City News contributed to this report.