Four Minutes Fuel Healdsburg’s Train Station Debate

HEALDSBURG, CA — Healdsburg's future train passengers could shave four minutes off their walk to the plaza, but parking nearby would shrink as would the number of trees to give them that shorter trip.

SMART is comparing the Vine Street location, between Matheson and North streets, with the Hudson Depot site that the Healdsburg City Council favored in February 2024 and reaffirmed in September 2026.

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Braced for backlash over the proposal to put the station on Vine Street, SMART General Manager Eddy Cummins laid out the pros and cons of each site Thursday evening during a community meeting at the Healdsburg High School .

SMART's proposed downtown Healdsburg station would eliminate about 30 parking spaces and bring passengers closer to existing jobs, businesses, and services, a trade-off that drew competing appeals at the community meeting.

Residents questioned parking losses, tree removals, and traffic around the Vine Street site, while a mother of two teenage train riders urged officials to consider young passengers who already gather near the plaza.

The downtown location would put passengers approximately 0.2 miles, or a four-minute walk, from the Healdsburg Plaza. The depot site would place them approximately 0.38 miles, or an eight-minute walk, away.

Cummins told attendees that proximity, reliability, safety, and comfort influence whether people choose transit.

"This is not a done deal," he said at the Thursday meeting. "The board wants to hear your feedback."

Carol McKnight, a train rider who lives near the Healdsburg Hospital, supported Hudson Street because it already has parking.

McKnight questioned whether the shorter walk justified removing parking, cutting trees, and changing the existing pathway. "Parking is a big issue," she said.

Another woman said teenagers need a stronger voice in the discussion.

She said her teens ride SMART from Windsor to destinations including Petaluma and favor Vine Street because it serves as a gathering place for teenagers.

Downtown businesses and activity would also give her daughter somewhere to wait if a pickup ran late, she said.

"At Vine Street, she can go to Starbucks," she said. "There's a million people around."

Cummins described Hudson Street as the location with more space for station facilities, existing parking, and future housing development.

The site has 48 parking spaces and sits near established neighborhoods, businesses, and destinations in southern Healdsburg.

The depot location also aligns with previous city planning efforts and offers greater opportunities for high-density housing and mixed-use development, he said.

However, the site currently has fewer commercial, employment, dining, and visitor destinations within walking distance. Its growth would depend partly on future development, and convenient bus connections would require improvements.

The Vine Street location would serve a greater concentration of existing downtown activity but leave less room for station facilities and larger development projects.

Both options would require some tree removal where trees interfere with train clearances.

A Vine Street station would likely require removing most trees on SMART-owned land between the tracks and Vine Street on the block between Matheson and North streets.

Station construction costs would be roughly the same at either location, Cummins said.

However, the downtown option would add costs for a separate pedestrian rail crossing near the depot and for realigning the pathway along Vine Street between Mill and North streets.

The general manager also told residents that future service to Geyserville and Cloverdale would carry trains through the roundabout regardless of where Healdsburg places its station. SMART continues to seek funding for those extensions.

Crossing warning devices would activate for approximately 60 seconds for a single passing train, he said.

Projections

The decision to consider Vine Street caught Healdsburg staff and most city council members by surprise.

New ridership and jobs data, progress toward extending service to Geyserville and Cloverdale, and an approaching planning agreement prompted SMART to revisit Healdsburg's station location, SMART board member and Healdsburg City Councilmember Ariel Kelley said.

Northern expansion weakened a key argument for Hudson Street—avoiding the roundabout—because trains would cross it regardless of the station's location.

SMART staff also wanted to weigh access to existing downtown destinations against planned development around Hudson Street, while a new regional transit-oriented development policy added context.

Kelly described the outreach as the last phase before a contract and Cummins said Vine Street was not a done deal.

Cummins said that actual ridership at other stations has often differed from projections.

He ruled out building multiple Healdsburg stations, saying closely spaced stops would increase travel time and make the service less attractive.

The SMART board approved the first construction package Wednesday, covering the railroad and pathway from Windsor Station to Front Street, including the Russian River Bridge. Construction is scheduled to begin in spring 2027.

A second package would extend from Front Street to North Street and include the station. SMART anticipates awarding that contract in spring 2027.

The station survey remains open through Nov. 30. SMART plans to return to the Healdsburg City Council on Dec. 7, and its board will consider public input and survey results on Dec. 16.