San Rafael activists lobby for train depot restoration

San Rafael Heritage, while conceding the downtown site does not qualify for historic protections, says it should be rebuilt as it was because of the past it represents.

A San Rafael preservation group has launched a petition seeking the total rebuild a 1929 train depot as part of a multimillion relocation of the downtown San Rafael Transit Center.

San Rafael Heritage members say although the depot at 930 Tamalpais Ave. does not qualify for any historic protections due to remodels over the years, it should be rebuilt as it was because of the history it represents.

The Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District, which owns the transit hub, is planning a partial reconstruction that reflects the historic nature of railroad era, including the use of arcade arches. The depot entry will be the lobby, the middle section will become an open-air courtyard and another section will have retail space and a cafe.

“We think this is really a shadow of what the depot once was,” said Jeff Rhoads, a board member of San Rafael Heritage who is leading the petition effort. San Rafael Heritage members said they want to see the depot enclosed rather than open into a courtyard.

“Part of the vision is to recreate an interior space like the original waiting room in the depot,” he said. “This space would be like what you see from traditional railway stations in the past. We’d like to see the building fully restored.”

The petition at bit.ly/3QkGNsU went live on April 11 and has collected 200 signatures as of Friday. Rhoads said they plan to collect signatures through at least June to present their case to the bridge district and San Rafael City Council.

“This is really an opportunity to create a great public space that will contribute to the renaissance of downtown San Rafael,” Rhoads said.

The county’s railroad history dates back to 1870s and is considered one of the reasons the development of San Rafael was accelerated in the late 19th century, according to a cultural resources analysis.

The train depot was constructed in 1884 and then rebuilt as the Northwestern Pacific Railroad Depot at 930 Tamalpais Ave. in 1929.

Today’s San Rafael Transit Center is situated between Second and Third streets, just south of the depot building that long served as the headquarters of the nonprofit service organization Vivalon, formerly known as Whistlestop. The transit hub serves 9,000 daily boardings for local, regional and commuter travel on buses and the SMART train.

After more than a decade of studies and public meetings, the Golden Gate Bridge district approved the relocation plan in December 2022. The relocation is being pursued to address concerns about pedestrian safety and traffic flow that have arisen since Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit district train tracks were built directly through the transit center in 2019.

The project, which has an estimated cost of $50 million to $70 million, would allow for more bus bays as well as let passengers transfer between buses and the SMART train station without having to cross busy downtown streets.

Under the plan, the transit center would be located on three parcels bordered to the north and south by Fourth Street and Third Street and to the west and east by Tamalpais Avenue and Hetherton Street.

The planned site would retain the existing SMART station. The district will need to acquire the parcels owned by Vivalon and Citibank for the project to move forward.

As proposed, the project would involve demolishing the depot structure and rebuilding it on the west side of Tamalpais Avenue.

Ron Downing, a planner with the bridge district, said staff and consultants are still in preliminary design and are considering input from everyone who has submitted public comment.

One of the problems with the proposal from San Rafael Heritage is square footage, he said.

The acceptable size for the new depot customer service building cleared in an environmental impact report is 3,000 square feet, which is what the project proposes.

“Any change to the square footage would require reopening of the environmental documents,” Downing said. The report cost $1.6 million and took about four years to produce. “We can still take a look at some of this but we are limited by the square footage that we have cleared.”

Downing said the design consultants have done their best to look at the depot compared to historic photos to compose a structure that preserves the look of the original. He said they understand the importance to the community and the sentimental attachment, but the fact is that it is not a protected resource.

“The building has been modified many times over the decades,” Downing said. “Even in that core part that is referred to as the 1929 depot a lot has been modified as well.”

Downing said since project approval in 2022, staff has held various public meetings, including open houses, live events on social media and tailored stakeholder sessions with groups such as the nonprofit service Canal Alliance. San Rafael Heritage members also participated in a community design advisory group, he said.

The design also received support from the city of San Rafael, SMART and Marin Transit.

San Rafael Mayor Kate Colin, a member of the boards governing SMART and the Transportation Authority of Marin, said the rebuild of the transit center is one of the city’s priorities.

“We appreciate the GGBHTD’s engagement with the city and our community over the past couple years and their ongoing willingness to receive input as the project moves through the public process,” Colin wrote in a statement.

“At the most recent update by the district to the council, the council indicated their support for the current design, which pays homage to the site’s historical past and incorporates what transit riders need today and into the future,” Colin said.

The bridge district has about $33 million in Regional Measure 3 funds expected to be available for the project. The district is also expected to use revenue from real estate sales. There is an estimated $20 million shortfall, officials said.

To bridge the gap, the district is applying for federal funding, which triggered the need for the project to gain National Environmental Policy Act clearance.

Downing said the district plans to host another community meeting this summer, where it will unveil updated designs. Cost estimates also will be updated once the project team completes final engineering, he said.