North Bay commute rail planners moved Wednesday to continue pursuing a north Santa Rosa station site that is closer to shopping, existing bus transit and residential areas rather than a larger site that was in the original plans.
"It's more visible, it's easier to find, there's more access to businesses and there is more access to jobs," said Debora Fudge, chairwoman of the Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit Board and a Windsor councilwoman. "I'm in favor of pursuing the viability of this site."
The site is on Guerneville Road less than a half-mile from Coddingtown Mall, near the Northwestern Pacific Railroad tracks that run parallel to North Dutton Avenue. It is being studied instead of a locatiom just south of Jennings Avenue.
Both sites, however, are not in easy walking distance to the Santa Rosa Junior College, the county administration center or to either Sutter or Kaiser hospitals.
"I think it will be critical that we have shuttles .
.
. this is a better site, but it will still be a challenge," said Novato City Councilwoman Madeline Kellner, a member of the SMART board. "I think we are on the right track." The SMART board unanimously voted to study the costs and environmental impact of a station at Guerneville Road, where the Kelly-Moore Paint Co. store and Sonoma Kitchen & Bath are now located.The station would require buying those two sites plus a 1,000-foot driveway lined with carports at the Coddingtown Mall Apartment complex, along with leasing some additional parking from Codding Enterprises.It would replace a 9.8-acre site on Range Avenue south of Jennings Avenue that would be closer to the Santa Rosa Junior College if Santa Rosa goes ahead with a pedestrian overpass over Highway 101.SMART Planning Manager John Nemeth said the estimated cost of acquiring both sites is similar — $6.5 million for Jennings Avenue and $6.8 million for Guerneville Road.The advantage of the Jennings site, however, is that it could accommodate 630 parking spaces, compared to 350 at the Guerneville site. The nearest other SMART station, at Railroad Square, will have no parking.Weighing heavily against the Jennings site, however, is groundwater and soil pollution caused by a century of railroad and industrial use.It jeopardizes ever getting the site cleaned up by the owner, Union Pacific, to the satisfaction of environmental regulators, said Rob Krantz, SMART's property manager."To work through the environmental problems could take a couple of years or longer, and we need a station before that," said Krantz, who was part of a tour of both sites Wednesday.The north Santa Rosa site is one of the 14 station locations for the line, which runs 70 miles from Cloverdale to Larkspur and is scheduled to open in 2014.The Jennings Avenue location has been the preferred station site since it was recommended in 1997 by Berkeley urban designer Peter Calthorpe.However, in the past several months, a group of citizens and urban planners began working with Codding Enterprises to convince SMART to consider the alternate site.Codding has agreed to pay $20,000 to conduct the studies.Nemeth told the SMART board Wednesday that the Guerneville Road site has a much higher density of businesses and residential development than the Jennings site.He also said it has easier access for pedestrians, bicyclists and bus transit and is more visible.The SMART board instructed its staff to proceed with an environmental assessment, property appraisals and preparation costs for the Guerneville Road site.
The SMART board unanimously voted to study the costs and environmental impact of a station at Guerneville Road, where the Kelly-Moore Paint Co. store and Sonoma Kitchen & Bath are now located.
The station would require buying those two sites plus a 1,000-foot driveway lined with carports at the Coddingtown Mall Apartment complex, along with leasing some additional parking from Codding Enterprises.
It would replace a 9.8-acre site on Range Avenue south of Jennings Avenue that would be closer to the Santa Rosa Junior College if Santa Rosa goes ahead with a pedestrian overpass over Highway 101.
SMART Planning Manager John Nemeth said the estimated cost of acquiring both sites is similar — $6.5 million for Jennings Avenue and $6.8 million for Guerneville Road.
The advantage of the Jennings site, however, is that it could accommodate 630 parking spaces, compared to 350 at the Guerneville site. The nearest other SMART station, at Railroad Square, will have no parking.
Weighing heavily against the Jennings site, however, is groundwater and soil pollution caused by a century of railroad and industrial use.
It jeopardizes ever getting the site cleaned up by the owner, Union Pacific, to the satisfaction of environmental regulators, said Rob Krantz, SMART's property manager.
"To work through the environmental problems could take a couple of years or longer, and we need a station before that," said Krantz, who was part of a tour of both sites Wednesday.
The north Santa Rosa site is one of the 14 station locations for the line, which runs 70 miles from Cloverdale to Larkspur and is scheduled to open in 2014.
The Jennings Avenue location has been the preferred station site since it was recommended in 1997 by Berkeley urban designer Peter Calthorpe.
However, in the past several months, a group of citizens and urban planners began working with Codding Enterprises to convince SMART to consider the alternate site.
Codding has agreed to pay $20,000 to conduct the studies.
Nemeth told the SMART board Wednesday that the Guerneville Road site has a much higher density of businesses and residential development than the Jennings site.
He also said it has easier access for pedestrians, bicyclists and bus transit and is more visible.
The SMART board instructed its staff to proceed with an environmental assessment, property appraisals and preparation costs for the Guerneville Road site.
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