Downtown SMART Station and Ritter Center Appeal on Council's Agenda

San Rafael City Council April 2 agenda:

Ritter Center Appeal

The San Rafael City Council will hold a public hearing

Gerslte Park resident Hugo Landecker and about 30 other community members have banded together to appeal the decision, saying at the Planning Commission's Feb. 14 meeting that the center had outgrown the location and that some neighbors had problems with loitering by Ritter's homeless clients outside.

Ritter Center Executive Director Dianne Linn said the trailer would serve the existing clients more efficiently by separating medical clinic clients from day services clients, who use the center for showers, laundry and mail services.

SMART Downtown Station Plan

A citizens' advisory committee will present their plan for the downtown SMART train station. The plan, which addresses how the surrounding neighborhoods and pedestrians will be impacted when SMART comes to town, suggests several short and long-term projects.

Short-term projects:

• Facilitate re-use of Whistlestop site and relocation of senior services.
• Extend building heights.
• Widen sidewalks.
• Install directional signage.
• Improve conditions under Highway 101 - to pursue ways to install lighting and other improvements under 101 at Second, Third and Fourth streets and Fifth Avenue.
• Complete bicycle network.
• Install new traffic signal controllers.
• Improve Third Street crossing at Tamalpais Avenue.
• Tamalpais A venue as "front door" to transit station.
• Modify on-site parking requirements.

Long-term projects:

• Relocate bus operations to SMART station block.
• Build municipal parking garage.

The meeting will begin at 8p.m. in the Council Chambers located at 1400 Fifth Ave. San Rafael Patch will be live blogging.