What should the SMART train stations look like?

Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit will hold a series of public hearings, beginning today in Cotati, to find out what people want their train stations to look like.

There will be 14 stations along the 70-mile corridor from Cloverdale to Larkspur.

"We are talking about rail platforms with shelter, benches, bicycle racks, ticket vending machines, some will have park-and-ride lots," said Chris Coursey, SMART's manager of public outreach. "We are not talking about buildings in which people go inside to wait for trains."

Still, the station designs can have architectural features that will make them distinct and representative of the city of their location, he said.

"The ideas we are looking for are the values and aspirations in the communities where these will be and how to reflect those - the building architecture, the landscape architecture, what these public places look and feel like," Coursey said.

SMART will not use some of the historic stations that remain on the Northwestern Pacific Railroad line, such as those in Healdsburg, Santa Rosa's Railroad Square and Petaluma.

The firm of Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Architects of Portland, Ore., has been hired to design the stations. It has designed stations for the Portland rail system, Portland International Airport, Seattle Streetcar and San Diego State University.

The meeting schedule:

--Cotati: 4 p.m. today, Ray Miller Community Center, 216 E. School St.

--Petaluma: 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Petaluma Community Center.

--Greenbrae: 6 p.m. Wednesday, Drakes Landing Community Room, 300 Drakes Landing Road.

--Novato: 10 a.m. Thursday, Novato City Council Chambers.

--Santa Rosa: 7 p.m. Thursday, Finley Community Center.

--San Rafael: 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 16, Whistlestop, 930 Tamalpais Ave.

--Rohnert Park: 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 17, Rohnert Park Regional Library.

--Windsor: 3:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 18, Windsor Regional Library;

--Healdsburg: 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 18,, Healdsburg Senior Center

--Cloverdale: 2 p.m. Friday, Feb. 19, Cloverdale Regional Library.

You can reach Staff Writer Bob Norberg at 521-5206 or e-mail bob.norberg@pressdemocrat.com.