Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit is seeking public input on where to put Healdsburg's future SMART station, reopening a choice the City Council thought it had settled in 2024.
Two sites about 0.45 miles apart are on the table: Depot/Hudson, next to the historic rail depot south of downtown, and Vine/West Plaza/Downtown, on Vine Street between North and Matheson streets beside the West Plaza parking lot. SMART's official survey runs through midnight Nov. 30, and the agency has scheduled a community meeting Thursday, Oct. 22, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Healdsburg High School, 1024 Prince Avenue. Staff expects to brief the City Council and SMART board in December.
Why the debate reopened
Healdsburg's council voted 4-1 in February 2024 for the Hudson Street depot location and reaffirmed that preference in September 2026, Patch reported. The fully funded $269 million extension from Windsor toward Healdsburg — including a Russian River bridge package SMART aims to award in October, with construction targeted for spring 2027 — prompted the SMART board on Sept. 16 to order fresh public feedback before it chooses a site. General Manager Eddy Cummins told the council the decision is "not a done deal" but that SMART's board, not the city, has final authority.
SMART planning manager Zoe Unruh said 84 percent of Healdsburg's workforce lives outside city limits and that West Plaza has 84 percent more jobs within a quarter-mile walk than Hudson Street, using 2023 jobs data, census figures, 2025 travel data and the current street network. Agency staff has framed Healdsburg largely as a destination stop for workers and visitors.
Depot vs. downtown
Depot/Hudson sits about an eight-minute walk (0.38 miles) from Healdsburg Plaza, has more room for bike lockers and about 48 parking spaces today, and sits near land the city has planned for high-density housing and mixed use. It matches the city's Station Area Specific Plan and the planning work backed by roughly $1.1 million to $1.2 million from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission after the 2024 vote. Critics of a move say shifting the stop risks decades of housing and southern-entrance planning.
Vine/West Plaza is about a four-minute walk (0.2 miles) from the Plaza, closer to existing jobs, shops, schools and services, and could connect more easily to current bus routes. It has less space for parking and station facilities and would require changes to parts of the West Plaza lot, including removal of some trees. Farmers' market and downtown business voices have argued a closer stop would help vendors and workers immediately.
Councilmember Ron Edwards and a council candidate have also launched local resident and business surveys to bring Healdsburg-specific commuting and shift-hour data to SMART's board. SMART rejected ideas for two Healdsburg stops, saying extras would slow trains versus driving. Take the agency survey and, for related North Bay races and measures, see our Nov. 3, 2026 Bay Area election guide.