The City of Healdsburg has begun planning for the eventual arrival of SMART, perhaps as soon as the end of 2028. The planning began at Monday’s City Council meeting, when the five-member board heard from Planning Director Scott Duiven about the formation of a Healdsburg Station Area Specific Plan and the formation of two Community Advisory Committees to contribute to the process.
The project is funded by a $1.13 million grant from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission through its Transit-Oriented Communities (TOC) program. The program encourages cities to concentrate housing, jobs and services near public transit so people can get around more easily without relying on cars.
While Healdsburg’s recently adopted Housing Element positions the city well to meet TOC requirements related to affordable housing production, preservation and protection, preparation of a Specific Plan is necessary to address TOC requirements related to minimum residential and commercial office densities, parking management, and station access and circulation.
The Specific Plan will also integrate land use, housing, employment, transportation and infrastructure planning for the South Entry Area, which currently lacks public utilities, including water, sewer and stormwater infrastructure. The planning area is specifically defined by a half-mile radius from the planned SMART station, but that includes almost all of downtown and extends into the South Entry area on the far side of Memorial bridge…