SMART designed to avoid sprawl
Larry Barnett’s recent column, “The flip side of SMART,” raised concerns about the sprawl enabling potential of Sonoma Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) system without any discussion that the creation of SMART was preceded by a long planning process, including extensive public involvement, to design a light rail system along the existing rail line parallel to Highway 101, with stations at already existing population centers.
I was involved in that planning process as a member of the Sonoma County Transportation Committee, with other local environmental activists including Bill Kortum and George Ellman. The governing concept is to provide an option to the sprawl-inducing effect of freeway expansion by concentrating future growth in mixed use communities — residential, commercial, light industrial parks, recreation — adjacent to the rail stations with easy access to transit. This is a distinctly different system from BART, with stations served by large park and ride lots designed to enable commuting from rural undeveloped areas which did feed sprawl development. We were focused on avoiding that result with SMART.
I have not been involved in the planning and approval process for the individual rail stations. I agree with Larry that great care should be taken to ensure that the land use patterns stay true to our original concept. There will be no large park and ride lots as far as I know.
It will be important to create a convenient system without promoting long distance commuting by car to the rail stations. Infill development in communities adjacent to the rail stations is the operative concept, along with some feeder bus lines. We will need to oppose the likely push for large wine country tourist venues and event centers near rail stations if we want to create the locally serving, transit-oriented communities we envisioned.
It’s a complex process dealing with commercial pressures and some resistance to infill development. I think it calls for a more nuanced analysis than Larry’s fear of a L.A.-like megalopolis that will engulf our region.
Jerry Bernhaut, Santa Rosa
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I may be a little “thick” (can one say that?) but I definitely am confused. You begin your letter stating that the rail stations will be placed in already existing population centers and then you state that there are plans to create mixed residential /commercial /recreational areas around the stations. So are you going to knock down the previously existing population centers and build new, improved ones? You go on to say that there will be no large drive and park areas near the stations. So where is everybody going to park? How will they get from their homes either to the shuttle or to the stations? I’m sincerely curious.