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Novato council to explore addition of downtown SMART station

The old Novato train station — the Novato council is discussing a possible downtown SMART station. Frankie Frost — Marin IJ archive photo
By Stephanie Weldy, Marin Independent Journal
POSTED: 09/17/15, 6:23 PM PDT | UPDATED: 31 SECS AGO 0 COMMENTS
The Novato City Council will explore the concept of adding a downtown station for the Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit commuter train.

Council members this week unanimously approved plans to discuss pursuing the station adjacent to the Novato train depot on a future council agenda for formal review.

“Now that we’re further down the line and getting close to the train going, there’s a window of opportunity to see what it would cost to do some assessment of a downtown station to see if it’s a good idea,” said Councilwoman Madeline Kellner, who sits on SMART’s board of directors.

Novato’s SMART stops are planned near the Fireman’s Fund office complex and at Hamilton Field. The council Oct. 6 will explore whether to spend money on studies that would flesh out the feasibility and cost of the additional station.

Two studies will provide a more detailed look at a station, made up of a platform and shelter, in the downtown. An operational assessment would determine the timing and logistics of train movement, including how often trains would stop at the city’s stations. Each train would only stop at two Novato stations per trip, said City Manager Michael Frank. An engineering assessment would look at the breakdown of the area, including whether tracks need to be reconfigured or if additional track is required.

Officials stressed the urgency of getting discussions and studies started if council members want to pursue the station. City officials within upcoming months should have determined whether they want to move forward with the addition of the third station.

“This is time sensitive,” said Jennifer Welch, a SMART official. “Specifically we need it to have a decision by the end of the year. Once our contractor leaves, they demobilize and leave the area. Remobilizing contractors to build an additional platform and make additional changes will drastically increase the costs associated.”

Neymar Cataldi, a Novato resident who works at Autodesk, said many of her co-workers have said they’d like to see a station downtown.

“I think you’re going to serve a big population if you come downtown,” she told council members.

Jodi Fischer, also of Novato, said if there’s going to be any Novato station, there is one obvious site.

“If we’re going to have SMART, it makes sense to have it stop downtown,” Fischer said at the meeting.

Andy Podshadley, owner of downtown’s Trek Winery and Downtown Novato Business Association president, said he and other downtown business owners originally thought it was not well planned to place a station at the Firemen’s Fund site over downtown.

“It was the original,” he said. “In 1859, I think, (Novato) was settled. That was the train stop and the train depot needs a lot of work, but it’s kind of the place it should be. It’s an old resident kind of attitude, but it seems like that’s the stop it should be.”

Kellner believes a downtown station would bring more economic vitality to the area. In 2009, she said she was the only Novato council member to vote for a downtown station.

“For me, it’s something that for six years I have really wanted to happen. So I think it’s exciting that we’ve opened this and are looking at it again,” Kellner said.