Chapter 2: Project Description 2. PROJECT DESCRIPTION The SMART District is proposing implementation of passenger rail service along an approximately 70- mile existing rail corridor extending from Cloverdale in Sonoma County, California to a ferry terminal located in Larkspur, Marin County, California. The rail corridor, commonly known as the Northwestern Pacific Railroad or NWP, generally parallels Highway 101 running north-south in Sonoma and Marin counties. The NWP corridor is owned by the SMART District from Milepost (MP) 68.22 in Healdsburg to the Ignacio Wye at MP 26.96 in Novato. North of Healdsburg, the NWP is owned by the North Coast Railroad Authority (NCRA). South of Novato to MP 11.4 in Corte Madera, the NWP is owned by the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District (GGBHTD), with a small segment owned jointly by the GGBHTD, the County of Marin, and the Marin County Transit District. SMART is in the process of acquiring ownership of the segments of the NWP south of Novato. This chapter summarizes the project objectives, purpose, and need; describes existing transportation characteristics of the project corridor and the history of development of the proposed project; provides a detailed description of the physical project components; and defines the estimated project implementation costs. This project description establishes the basis for the environmental analysis presented in Chapter 3. 2.1 PROJECT OBJECTIVES, PURPOSE AND NEED The need for a diverse, multimodal transportation system within Sonoma and Marin counties is reflected in the growing congestion, travel times and delays on Highway 101, especially during peak travel periods. The capacity of the transportation system has not kept pace with the growth of travel demand in the two counties, a trend that is projected to continue into the future. The need for an alternative mode of transportation in Sonoma and Marin counties is supported by: • Capacity constraints on existing transportation systems, particularly on Highway 101, resulting in congestion and travel delays; • Future growth in travel demand along the Highway 101 corridor as regional population and employment grows; • Unreliability of existing travel modes due to congestion, weather, accidents, and lack of alternative north/south travel corridors; and • Disproportionate reliance on automobile travel in the corridor. The purpose of the proposed project is to provide an efficient and reliable multimodal transit option, consisting of passenger rail service and an ancillary pedestrian and bicycle pathway for local and regional travelers in Sonoma and Marin counties, cities and towns. In order to achieve the project purposes, the following project objectives have been identified: • Increase transit ridership in the project corridor; • Provide an alternative transportation option to automobile travel in the Highway 101 corridor to accommodate a portion of the projected travel demand, in furtherance of the general plan goals, objectives and policies of the counties, cities and towns along the NWP corridor; • Provide cost-effective rail service that links to bus, ferry service and bicycle access to key employment and multimodal centers along the corridor; • Provide rail service that supports transit-oriented development in city centers and at transit stations along the corridor to promote compact infill patterns in both Sonoma and Marin counties, consistent with SMART’s policies, and the general plans of the counties, cities and towns along the NWP corridor; Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit 2-1 DEIR November 2005 Chapter 2: Project Description • Maximize the use of an existing, publicly-owned rail right-of-way for rail services and as a bicycle/pedestrian pathway; • Provide the transportation infrastructure needed to facilitate transit-oriented, pedestrian-friendly, mixed-use development in station areas and for seamless connections between rail, shuttle buses and fixed route bus service; and • Provide passenger rail service that operates safely and efficiently with freight operations within the rail right-of-way north of the Ignacio Wye (Highway 37); and • Provide a bicycle/pedestrian pathway, generally within the rail right-of-way, from Cloverdale to Larkspur. 2.2 PROJECT LOCATION The proposed project corridor extends approximately 70 miles from Cloverdale in Sonoma County, California southward to Larkspur in Marin County. Sonoma and Marin counties are located on the west coast of California. Sonoma County is the northernmost county of the nine county San Francisco Bay Area region. Sonoma County is bordered by Napa County to the east, Mendocino County to the north, the San Pablo Bay and Marin County to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. In Sonoma County, the incorporated local jurisdictions in the proposed project corridor include Cloverdale, Healdsburg, Windsor, Santa Rosa, Rohnert Park, Cotati and Petaluma. Marin County is located north of San Francisco and is bordered by the San Francisco Bay to the south and east, the Pacific Ocean to the west and Sonoma County to the north. In Marin County, the incorporated local jurisdictions in the project corridor include Novato, San Rafael and Larkspur. A map of the proposed project corridor is shown in Figure 2.2-1. Detailed maps of the project corridor are in Section 2.5.3 (see Figures 2.5-3 to 2.5-9). As shown in the figures, the rail corridor closely parallels Highway 101. 2.3 CORRIDOR TRANSPORTATION CHARACTERISTICS 2.3.1 Population and Employment Growth The populations of both Sonoma and Marin counties have been steadily growing over the past two decades. Between 1980 and 1990, the population of Sonoma County grew almost 30 percent. This growth rate slowed between 1990 and 2000 to 18 percent, but still represented the largest growth rate in the nine-county Bay Area region (U.S. Census Bureau, 1990 and 2000). In 2000, the population in Sonoma County was approximately 458,600 and is currently at about 477,700 (Association of Bay Area Governments [ABAG], 2005). Projections for Sonoma County indicate the growth trend will continue with a projected increase of approximately 22 percent between 2000 and 2025 (ABAG, 2003). Population growth in Marin County has occurred at a slower pace. Between 1980 and 1990, the population increased by only three percent. Between 1990 and 2000, the population increased by about eight percent for a total population of 247,290 in 2000. Current Marin County population is about 251,400 (ABAG, 2005). By 2025, it is estimated that the population of Marin County will increase approximately 13 percent over the 2000 population (ABAG, 2003). Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit 2-2 DEIR November 2005 Chapter 2: Project Description FIGURE 2.2-1 PROJECT LOCATION Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit 2-3 DEIR November 2005 Chapter 2: Project Description Along with the steady increase in population, there has also been an increase in employment in both Sonoma and Marin counties. From 1990 to 2000, the number of jobs in Sonoma County increased approximately 19 percent, while the number of jobs in Marin County increased about 15 percent (Metropolitan Transportation Commission [MTC], 2001). Continuing job growth is projected for both Sonoma and Marin counties. Sonoma County is expected to add approximately 98,480 additional jobs between 2000 and 2025, for a total increase of 48 percent. In Marin County, limitations on the amount of land suggest that job growth will occur more slowly than the general trend in the Bay Area. While job growth in the Bay Area is projected to increase by nearly 33 percent from 2000 to 2025, Marin County is projected to add 35,280 new jobs over the same time period, a growth rate of almost 29 percent (ABAG, 2003). The major work destinations for Sonoma and Marin residents have remained constant over time. In 2000, the majority of Sonoma County home-based work trips (approximately 76 percent) were within the county. Approximately 11 percent of residents worked in Marin County and almost six percent worked in San Francisco. By 2025, an even larger share of Sonoma County residents (82 percent) are projected to be working within the county as the local employment base increases, thereby increasing the travel demand along the Highway 101 corridor. In 2000 in Marin County, approximately 51 percent of home- based work trips were internal to the county. About 30 percent of home-based work trips were to San Francisco and almost six percent were to destinations in Sonoma County. By 2025, the percentage of home-based work trips within Marin County and to San Francisco is projected to remain relatively unchanged, while the percentage of trips to Sonoma County is projected to increase slightly to almost 9 percent (MTC/Parsons Brinckerhoff) travel forecasting model, 2004. See the Travel Demand Forecasting Report in Appendix I). The majority of development in Sonoma and Marin counties is centered in cities and towns located along the Highway 101 corridor. Highway 101 serves as an access artery for business and employment centers in both counties. In Sonoma County, the greatest concentration of major employment centers is located in Santa Rosa, with lesser concentrations found in Petaluma and Rohnert Park. Marin County employment centers are clustered close to Highway 101, with concentrations in Corte Madera, San Rafael and Novato (California Employment Development Department, 2005). 2.3.2 Travel Patterns Highway 101 is the only continuous four-lane, north-south roadway in Sonoma and Marin counties, connecting to Mendocino