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By BOB NORBERG
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
The Rohnert Park commute rail station will be located near the city center in an agreement reached between the city and the Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit District.
“This is better all the way around, it is closer to the center of town and closer to a larger number of our residents,” said Rohnert Park Mayor Jake Mackenzie, who is also on the SMART board.
The station is now planned to be adjacent to the tracks at Rohnert Park Expressway and near the vacant State Farm building, replacing plans to locate it near Golf Course Drive.
The station will provide a transportation alternative to residents living in a mobile home park, condominiums, apartments and homes that are nearby as well as spur development at the vacant State Farm site, Mackenzie said.
The density of houses and businesses around the new station site would increase the average density around the stations that SMART plans to build in the first segment of the line from downtown Santa Rosa to downtown San Rafael.
With that increase, SMART can now reconsider building a station at Atherton Avenue in Novato, said SMART General Manager Farhad Mansourian.
The Atherton station, with less housing density, would serve the Farmers Insurance offices and its 300 workers from Sonoma County.
Stations at Atherton and at Corona Road in Petaluma were deferred in construction plans for the initial segment, saving SMART $22 million and enabling it to qualify for Metropolitan Transportation Commission funding.
As part of the agreement, Rohnert Park is offering to pay SMART $35,000 for the environmental impact work, which is now nearly complete.
The agreement still needs the final approval of the Rohnert Park City Council and SMART board of directors.
The initial commute line will have stations at Railroad Square in Santa Rosa, Rohnert Park, Cotati, Petaluma, Hamilton Field in Novato, the Marin County Civic Center and downtown San Rafael.
SMART is expected to issue a contract for construction between Santa Rosa and the Marin County Civic Center on Jan. 9. Details of the contract have not been released.
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“Decline to Sign anti-SMART petition”
None of the arguments offered by the anti-SMART activists (when they actually present an argument instead of ad hominem attacks on progressive public offifials)hold water, unless you buy into their real premise, which is that they are opposed to the concept of public transit systems.
Yes,we will be providing a susbsidy for the rail transit, which will beome increasingly valuable as work sites and in-fill housing get built out at the stations on the SMART route. And, yes we already provide multi-billion dollar subsidies annually in the state for public roads, bridges, etc. to support the car culture.
That is the price of civilization, and we reject the attempt to try to derail this project based on a hidden agenda of opposition to the expansion of government. To find out more on why you should support SMART and not sign the repeal, go to:
http://smartriders.wordpress.com/
RE: Brandon S – “I for one plan on using SMART and can’t wait to get off the 101 parking lot.”
And what, onto the SMART parking lot train? Cool… at least on person here has three+ hours to commute one-way. How many thousands more to break-even?
Make sure you bring a good book or an iPad; there won’t be anyone else to talk to while on the train.
As I recall, the State Farm building property is where they want to build the ‘One Planet Community’ in which Codding is a major investor. Do you think that may have had anything to do with it?
Jay…
Just went to the site that you claim “tells me everything I need to know.” http://smartriders.wordpress.com/
Funny, there are a few things I still don’t know:
1. This Fall, Farhad promised that SMART would create 900 jobs by the end of the year. Do they plan to hire all 900 tomorrow? Tick, tick, tick…
2. SMART also decided to spend $200,000 on a public relations effort. How much did SMART pay the SMARTpimps to develop this one? I recognize the template. It’s 2010 by WordPress, and it’s available free.
3. My version of this template, http://www.thelittlepicture.net has a clearly marked place where you can send the author letters, pro or con. Your blog seems to have no place where people like me can blow holes in your specious logic. Why are you so afraid of feedback?
4. I read the list of speakers who were scheduled for your December 21 pep rally. Is there even one of them who does not have a financial stake in watching this ugly spiceworm* creep up its $500,000,000 tracks?
* A snarky reference to this ungainly choo-choo’s unfortunate resemblance to the spiceworms in Dune.
I for one plan on using SMART and can’t wait to get off the 101 parking lot.
@Jay Behr, how will you be using the train?
How often?
Aren’t you stunned that similarly sized rail systems across the US have 20 times the ridership proponents of SMART expound?
Don’t you understand what that implies for future demands on the taxpayer…the vast majority who will never see the inside of a SMART train?
Attn: Rohnert Park Voters.
It is time for Jake MacKenzie to go. If RP has an extra $35k laying around why oh why did our water and sewer rates go up? You can only cry wolf so many times.
It’s time to repeal that dumb train.
Here’s where to go to get the facts on why SMART needs to move ahead:
http://smartriders.wordpress.com/
Everything you need to know is there.
RE: Sheryl – “Please Jay support your statement regarding how invaluable this train will be, with facts of course.”
If you had only posted “Please Jay support your statement regarding how invaluable this train will be”, I’m sure we would all get a reply. (And a really long-winded one from Jake Mackenzie) But you just had to put ‘…with facts of course’.
The silence will be deafening, from the both of them.
Please Jay support your statement regarding how invaluable this train will be, with facts of course. How about some actual predictions on the number of daily riders who have the time to change modes of transportation 3-4 times just to get to the city. Stop with political speak and give me real numbers, not the BS that SMART has you spout.
From a SMART supporting website, the Marin County Bicycle Coalition:
“SMART will directly reduce GHG’s by about 124,000 pounds per day by shifting an estimated 5,300 daily trips away from automobiles and onto the train.”
http://www.marinbike.org/Campaigns/SMART/SMART.shtml
The only 6 light rail systems in the US that have lower daily trips have an average of 3.5 miles of track to maintain!!!
Doesn’t that tell you something about this train??
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_light_rail_systems_by_ridership
The SMART Train, when built out will have 70 miles of track to maintain.
The six light rail systems in the US that have more than 40 miles of track have average daily boardings of 107,450!! That’s ridership averaging 20 times GREATER than SMART with less track to maintain!
Madness.
This is a great idea. The State Farm building can be converted into a parking garage. I mean here is a plan for parking right?
@Jay Behr
These kind of blanket statements without telling the truth or fact checking make me sick.
Number one Most of us voted for it not against it to begin with. The original plan presented to us was great!
And number two your statement:
“it is childish and unrealistic to expect that a major public works project like SMART would not go through numerous modifications during the build-out phase.”
Well I am sick and tired of this! Is it to much to ask for this to stop. For it to be the norm for projects to change so drastically without letting the voters know and have a say has got to stop in all projects. That should never be acceptable!! not in any arena. What is so wrong with expecting realistic figures up front?, or at least telling us when they are way off and need to change it….Nothing in my opinion!
Nothing I hate more than lying! Please SMART tell us the truth.
Rohnert Psrk has a city center?
Who knew?
Thank you, Jake, for your good work in moving the SMART project forward under difficult circumstances, due to the Wall Street financial collapse which is still depressing tax revenues.
No one should listen to the disingenuous critics of SMART who keep going on about how “This is not the project that we voted for”. Number one, most of them voted against it to begin with, and number two, it is childish and unrealistic to expect that a major public works project like SMART would not go through numerous modifications during the build-out phase. Anyone who’s ever built a house on spec knows how that goes.
As far as I can tell, the real bottom line for the opponents is a desire to not allow the expansion of government by adding a public project. This is the political debate of our time, but I do believe that the project itself has long-term value which merits the use of public funds.
And, no it is not a nefarious plot to oppress and contain the population in some kind of dark un-American scheme. Really, get a grip! We support the train because it will be an invaluable addition to the transit network for the North Bay for another 100 years. And that’s a good thing.
Once again, the fix is in at the Rohnert Park Pothole Mackenzie city council. Move the unsmart train going nowhere station and the city picks up the $35,000 tab for the environmental reports.
What deals were cut with the contractors?
What a deal delivered by the old sugar daddy of SMART himself.
Another great link from Reason TV debunking LRT myths and false claims:
http://reason.com/archives/2011/12/27/la-metros-light-rail-arguments-off-track
SMART lost my support when they nixed the Larkspur hub.
Smart Train isn’t a transportation plan.
It’s an oppression/containment plan.
Right Jake?
RE: “Pothole Mackenzie comes through again for the little expensive train with no riders. He uses his influence on the Rohnert Park city council to pay fees that SMART would have spend on another one of those environmental studies.”
Two years in a row now the M-Section pool has been closed due to not enough money, yet the city can afford to pay fees that should be paid by SMART.
Good job, Rohnert Park. Since the city has so much money to burn, shouldn’t be a problem to open the pool this summer for our kids.
Thank you, Mr. Norberg, for adding the component of “who” made this agreement, which was missing when it was posted on the PD side.
I bet that was a hard fought negotiation- you know, Mr. Mackenzie arguing with himself over the terms. In fact, I’m curious if anyone other than Mr. Mackenzie was part of that negotiation- on either side!
I’m still concerned about the concept of reporting that an agreement has been made prior to either the SMART Board OR the RP City Council considering said agreement in a public meeting.
While we all know that the public meetings are mostly a farce- the theater of politics- and that the decisions are virtually always made in advance and behind closed doors, still- we can at least try to have some semblance of objectivity and let the public think that they actually have a chance to have some input in the decision making process.
As I pointed out on the PD side- this has happened before. It was to a great extent SMART’s fault, but Mr. Norberg for months reported something as a done deal that was not officially voted on until 5 months later.
This is the meeting where they “didn’t vote” for an IOS:
http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20101106/ARTICLES/101109598
http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20101209/ARTICLES/101209411
And this is the meeting where they actually did- 5 months later:
http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20110420/ARTICLES/110429935
It seems like the proper or wise way to report a story like this would be to call it a “preliminary agreement” or a “proposed agreement”.
Then again- we have seen that the SMART Board always votes in lock step- there is rarely any dissent. It has developed into a well-heeled rubber stamp board. So I guess in reality it IS a done deal.
Very well- carry on! No need for the public to be inconvenienced with any sort of involvement in decision making- just leave that to the political class- they know what’s best.
Hey Jake, I got a secret…
THE PEOPLE DON’T WANT IT!
Pothole Mackenzie comes through again for the little expensive train with no riders. He uses his influence on the Rohnert Park city council to pay fees that SMART would have spend on another one of those environmental studies. And he has the train station location changed to where he wants it.
This guy’s fingers are in every transportation pie in the North Bay.
He votes on the Unsmart board, the RP city council, the regional transportation board and the county transportation board. But no conflict of interest here, or so he claims. He is just and honest broker.
The only anwser to unravel this mess is to vote for Repeal SMART.
Make Sonoma and Marin a SMART Free Zone.