Advocacy Council at Work – SMART Last Mile, Downtown and Housing

SMART Last Mile
On July 16th, the Advocacy Council's Transportation Task Force held a meeting for large employers to talk about last mile service for the SMART Train. Representatives from SMART, Sonoma County Transit and Santa Rosa City Bus gave an overview of current operations and discussed the MTC's bus/rail integration study that is looking at how buses and the SMART Train can work together.

There was also a discussion of the ridership survey that focused on which employees would use SMART as a mode of commute transportation that was distributed to large businesses in Sonoma and Marin Counties.

The overview presented in this initial meeting set the stage for further Advocacy Council discussions and input for the next phase of work on last mile solutions that support businesses and employees.

Downtown and Housing
On July 21st, the Santa Rosa City Council held a meeting to prioritize the work plan for the coming year. The Chamber's Advocacy Council was there to support moving up the discussion of reunification of Old Courthouse Square. The Chamber believes Courthouse Square potentially represents the core of a vital city, one that we think will be greatly enhanced by its restoration and reunification.

The Chamber also voiced its support for the City Council to work on housing crisis issues, particularly as it pertains to workforce housing.

The Chamber's Advocacy Council plans on monitoring the City Council's work plan and will be taking positions that support our members as appropriate.