by Guest Writer Wendi Kallins
The return of rail transit to the North Bay is on the horizon as both Marin and Sonoma Counties vote on transportation improvements in November. In May, the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors voted to place a transportation program on the November ballot; Marin's Supervisors followed suit in June.
A spirit of cooperation is prevailing in both counties as traditionally divergent interests have valiantly searched for common ground. Both measures will be supported by broad-based coalitions comprised of business, environmental and civic leaders from prominent North Bay organizations.
The transportation program proposed in both counties is based on the Sonoma/Marin Multi-Modal Transportation and Land Use Study, prepared over a two-year period by the innovative land-use planner Peter Calthorpe. The report proposed a balanced comprehensive package of transportation improvements, including rail transit, that would address current traffic issues, while planning for a future of alternative choices.
The centerpiece of the study proposal was a 53-mile rail system running from Healdsburg to Larkspur Landing, with a series of stations in the populated areas of the region. The rail line would be fed by improved local bus systems. New and upgraded bicycle and pedestrian paths plus a north/south express route for bicycles were also part of the mix.
In addition, High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes for carpools were recommended through Petaluma, through San Rafael, and from Cotati to Windsor. State Highways 12 and 116 as well as many of the arterial roads were also slated for improvements.
To assure the success of the transportation plan based on the study, environmental concerns needed to be addressed. Environmental organizations in both counties were largely responsible for the defeat of transportation ballot measures in 1990. Sonoma environmentalists insisted on a solid program for rail, while Marin's environmentalists were concerned about development in the baylands.
In Sonoma County, talks between environmentalists and business leaders were testy at first, both parties needing to overcome years of animosity. The turning point came last summer when the Santa Rosa Chamber of Commerce commissioned a poll which showed overwhelming support by Sonoma County voters for the combined package of rail and road improvements. Neither mode could stand alone and win the hearts of voters.
As a result, a "shotgun marriage" forced the two rival interests to form a coalition called Citizens for Traffic Relief, made up of representatives from the environmental, business and agricultural communities as well as bus and bike advocates, the League of Women Voters, and public safety agencies. This group worked out a balanced package of improvements to present to the Board of Supervisors.
However, as the debate entered the public arena, the Petaluma Chamber of Commerce, joined by prominent paving contractors, called for more money to widen Highway 101 in the stretch of road coined "the Novato Narrows" by its proponents. This controversial segment, running through agricultural land and open space between communities in the two counties, was not included in the Calthorpe study because it was considered a state responsibility.
The new group, calling themselves Citizens for a Better 101, asked the Sonoma supervisors to raise the sales tax increase to ¾ cent from ½ cent in order to fund this section. Citizens for Traffic Relief countered that voters were likely to reject such a high tax increase. The supervisors decided to limit the tax increase to ½ cent, but to add wording that would allow widening of Highway 101 all the way to the county line, and to extend the rail line to Cloverdale.
In addition, a land use protection measure will appear on Sonoma's November ballot to protect properties south of Petaluma by freezing existing zoning and ensuring that freeway improvements will not fuel growth in the community separator. Petaluma voters will also vote on an urban growth boundary measure.
Marin County appointed a broadly representative Steering Committee of 24 people including elected officials, environmentalists, business leaders, transit activists and the League of Women Voters. A poll commissioned by the committee found that 58% of Marin's voters supported a general purpose ½-cent sales tax increase and 75% agreed with the transportation program.
The Steering Committee fleshed out details of the program with additions made to satisfy concerns of its members. These include a new neighborhood shuttle bus system using smaller buses to feed the train and ferry systems. Since school traffic has exacerbated the morning commute, shuttle routes would be designed to coincide with school hours and would also be available to take kids to afterschool activities.
Funding is also designated for paratransit services and for improvements and maintenance of local roads and streets. Main thoroughfares would receive paving and circulation enhancements.
The rail line runs through the baylands, one of Marin County's most important environmental assets. In a conceptual breakthrough, the committee agreed to include $55 million for purchase of sensitive lands along transportation routes to reduce future traffic demand. This is the first time that transportation and land use have been linked in a transportation ballot measure.
In another innovative move, the Board of Supervisors and the City of San Rafael set up a process for jointly planning the St.Vincents/Silviera lands, two hotly contested bayland properties north of San Rafael. A 14-member committee comprised of various interest groups including the property owners will hammer out the details of the zoning and land use issues.
Marin's measure does not include funding for the "Novato Narrows" despite intense lobbying by business interests on both sides of the county line. Marin Supervisors argued that the highway is outside of local jurisdiction. Instead, they wrote a letter to Caltrans endorsing the use of State and Federal monies to address this stretch of road. Congress recently approved $9 million for the Narrows as part of its TEA 21 package, and Caltrans approved $15 million.
In each county, the ballot will contain two measures. One will raise the sales tax ½ cent for the county's general fund. The other will be an advisory measure that outlines how any new revenues should be used for both transportation and land use purposes. A specific sales tax for transportation would preclude the inclusion of the land use provision and would require a 2/3 vote for passage. A general sales tax requires only a majority vote.
In June the 6th District Court of Appeals upheld this mechanism, first used in Santa Clara County in 1996. In a very strong ruling, the court stated that nothing in the general tax measure indicated that it was a special tax; one judge noted that the advisory measure was "a sign of good government" for giving voters a say in how they wanted their taxes spent.
Both counties now must look to the voters for approval of a general sales tax increase if the program is to be implemented. With a broad-based coalition supporting the measures in both counties, the chances of success are high. If the Sonoma County tax passes and Marin's measure does not, it is likely that there will be renewed pressure to spend all of the money on the highway. If the measure fails in Sonoma, commuters may be facing toll roads instead. Neither prospect is very desirable. Most people now agree that a comprehensive mix of transportation choices is the only solution to traffic problems in the North Bay.
For more information:
Web sites:
www.pressdemo.com/101/101.html
Information and a video on the Calthorpe study:
North Bay Environmental Institute, 415-488-4101 phone, 415-488-0926 FAX, wkallins@igc.apc.org, P.O. Box 201, Forest Knolls, CA 94933
Information on the tax measures:
Sue Beittel, Marin County League of Women Voters, 415-459-0292, 412 D St., Ste. B, San Rafael, CA 94901
Ann Dubay, Sonoma County Citizens for Balanced Transportation, 633 First St., Santa Rosa, CA 95404, 707-524-2127, fax 707-545-6914, e-mail annd@santarosachamber.com