Smart Move
In July, 75% of voters in Sonoma and Marin counties voted to extend SMART’s sales tax. Many of us did so hoping the train would get people out of their cars, a key SMART goal. In December, the SMART board will decide where Healdsburg’s station goes, and that choice will decide whether the train does what we voted for. The Vine Street site is the clear choice.
Healdsburg is a destination town. More people come here each day than leave. More than 5,000 people commute in to work, most of them in or near downtown. On weekends, neighbors and visitors come to enjoy the Plaza. This is where riders want to go, and today, nearly all of them drive to get there.
The Vine Street site is about 620 feet from the Plaza in the town center, a two-minute walk on clearly marked, lighted and signaled streets. The Depot is nearly 10 minutes away on neighborhood streets and sidewalks. SMART found 84% more jobs within a quarter-mile walk of Vine Street. For a hotel worker leaving a late shift in the winter rain, or a visitor on one of the 55 days a year Healdsburg hits 90 degrees, those extra minutes determine whether someone rides or drives.
Supporters of the Depot site have raised real concerns about Vine Street, and deserve more than assurances. If the board chooses Vine Street, SMART and city officials should make written, funded commitments as part of that decision. Vine Street serves the town that Healdsburg is today and will be for decades, and it will take more cars off our streets than the Depot site. I urge the SMART board to make the right choice for Healdsburg and for everyone SMART serves.
David Lawrence, MD
Healdsburg
