The new Sybaris sign on Lyon Street points to parking in a county lot across the street.
Now here’s a little story that is not much of a story at all, at least not what somebody thought.
It comes about because on Thursday I got a question via Facebook Messenger. The question was:
“What kind of sweetheart deal did Sybaris get to use the brand new taxpayer funded parking lot at the Old Armory building?”
The reference was to the 23-space parking lot on the south side of the Armory Building, and the person was questioning the Sybaris sign pointing to that lot across the street.
I did a story on that lot last September. Linn County owns the lot and had it improved with landscaping and wiring for six future electric vehicle charging stations. The county estimated its costs at $140,000, but that estimate turned out to be too optimistic.
The lot serves the people working in the Armory Building during the day. It’s also useful to people coming to the building for evening meetings.
Last month, Sybaris Bistro completed its move from First Avenue and opened for business in the remodeled historic Oregon Electric Railway depot at Fifth Avenue and Lyon Street.
Now for the parking lot question.
I asked Roger Nyquist, chairman of the Linn County Board of Commissioners, what if any deal the county made with the restaurant for the use of the parking lot.
His emailed response:
“We generally do not restrict the use of county parking areas when not in use during the business day for public business with the county. Allowing people to park at the armory lot after 5 pm is consistent with our current policy. We do not have a lease or easement agreement with Sybaris.”
Nyquist also said the lot turned out to be bigger than planned. “The project started as repairing a couple potholes and a pavement seal, and turned into a rezone with new requirements via the city. It was probably in the neighborhood of 200k in expenditures before we were done.”
Now anyone can park in that lot as long as it’s after 5. That’s a sweetheart deal all right, a sweet deal for the public at large. (hh)
The tone of that Facebook inquisitor is antagonistic. Many of the comments on your blog have had similar tones toward Sybaris’s owners. Why are folks so upset with a local business? [cue the grumpy replies] The restaurant is a downtown fixture that draws customers from all over Oregon and frequently and generously gives back to the community. Because they get a grant here and there? Name one business that wouldn’t/doesn’t take advantage of such offerings? My wife and our family celebrated the night before our wedding at Sybaris and we very much look forward to dining at their new location for years and years to come. Congrats to Sybaris for running a successful business for the people of Albany to enjoy!
Because the most active of Hasso’s commenters and story tips are from the negative tilt. Obviously not all can be painted with the same brush, but they are generally older, crabbier, hungry for a good conspiracy, “I pay taxes” crowd who remembers the “real” Albany of 50 years ago with rose-colored glasses. Roads were perfect with no traffic, no crime at all, simple problems with even simpler solutions, and a minimum wage of $2.30 an hour.
Well, you are part of the “moneyed” class in Albany if you can afford to dine “for years and years to come” at Sybaris. In this world, anymore, there are the “haves” and the “have nots.” 1/2 to 3/4s of the people who live in Albany cannot afford to step inside the door at Sybaris. It is as simple as that. Speaking of other parking lots in Albany, the one across from the Albany Regional Museum is not open to the public. It has a sign that says your car will be towed at your expense if you use the lot. At least that sign was there the last time I drove by.
If downtown didn’t close so early maybe more could enjoy.
As a tax payer like myself and Sybaris Bistro we are benefiting from the availabile parking. There are several parking areas in downtown Albany that are either police or privately owned. One example is the Albany Regional Museum parking lot. It is a private lot that people use during and after museum hours but don’t visit the museum. The county parking tax payer paid lot in question is open to the public after hours wether you visit Sybaris Bistro or not.
A non-story about a parking lot….is a headline story now…Good & honest reporting by hasso…..
“We do not have a lease or easement agreement with Sybaris.” Kind of presumptuous of them to assume enough access to the lot to put in on the sign without an agreement of some kind. The citizens of the county access services in that building until 8 pm and they’ve been told it’s an employee only parking lot.
Thank you, Sharon.
Perception is Reality.
Sign says it all…..