Groundbreaking for Petaluma North SMART station set for Thursday

Construction for Petaluma’s second Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit station, dubbed the Petaluma North station, is scheduled to begin Thursday at noon with a groundbreaking ceremony co-hosted by city leaders.

The new $14 million station – paid for with more than $10 million from the state transportation agency’s Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program and $2 million in Measure M funds – is expected to be completed by late 2024, adding a new “infill station” to the SMART line currently running from Larkspur to the Sonoma County Airport.

The project, located at the corner of Corona Road and North McDowell Boulevard, will also add three miles to the SMART bike and pedestrian pathway that runs adjacent to the railroad line, linking downtown Petaluma to Main Street Penngrove, according to a news release from the rail agency.

Adjacent to the new Petaluma station will be Meridian, an affordable housing project to include 131 affordable housing units designated for families and individuals earning between 20% and 60% of the city’s $100,000 area median income.

Aside from the North Petaluma station, the Windsor station is under construction and will be the commuter rail line’s northernmost station after its completion, according to the SMART website.

You can reach Staff Writer Jennifer Sawhney at 707-521-5346 or jennifer.sawhney@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @sawhney_media.