Several downtown Albany projects are moving at once. Sybaris moved into the old train depot. Albany Civic Theater is planning a new entrance. Both breweries are lined up for new windows, and the Cumberland church on Santiam Road is moving toward reopening. These look like separate projects, but they share one cause. The Central Albany Revitalization Area, the urban renewal district the city created in 2001, closes on June 30, 2027. In 2026 it gave out its last grant money, and that money has to be spent by spring.
The deadline explains the timing. It also explains why some buildings got funded and others did not.
Where the Last $545,000 Went
In November 2025, the city council, acting as the Albany Revitalization Agency, split the district's remaining money in half. One half went toward Pacific Power's cost of moving the Water Avenue power lines underground. The other half became a final grant program for building owners: $545,000, no cap on any single award, a 25% match required, and applications due March 31.
Demand was far higher than the money available. According to the Albany Records Project, 12 complete applications asked for a combined $1,466,216.21, nearly three times the pool. City staff said all 12 met the CARA plan's goals, so the agency's job was to decide which projects came first.
Here is how the money was split across the April 22 and May 27, 2026 meetings:
| Building | Address | Award | Funded work |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oregon Electric Railway depot (Sybaris) | 133 5th Ave. SE | $262,092 | Remaining restoration and expansion work |
| Cumberland Community Events Center | 1400 Santiam Rd. SE | $109,100 | Bringing the historic church closer to occupancy |
| DeLuxe Brewing | 635 NE Water Ave. | $85,900 | Restrooms and windows |
| Calapooia Brewery | 140 NE Hill St. | $45,908 | Window replacement |
| Albany Civic Theater | 111 W. First Ave. | $42,000 | Entry improvements |
The Sybaris total combines a $261,940 award in April with the last $152 left over after the May votes, which brought the program to exactly $545,000. Under the city's grant program, funded projects have to spend the money by May 1, 2027. The following month, before the district closes, owners get reimbursed.
The Depot Shows How Much the Deadline Mattered
Sybaris has been in the works longer than any other project on the list. In February 2022, Hasso Hering reported that Matt and Janel Bennett were under contract to buy the 1912 Oregon Electric Railway station. Ciddici's Pizza had been the most recent tenant. The Bennetts planned to restore the old passenger waiting room to its full size, and they hoped to open early in 2023. At that point they had been renting the corner of First Avenue and Washington Street, across from the Albany Carousel, for 20 years.
The restoration took more than three years longer than that first estimate. In early 2026 the depot was still being remodeled. The owners had already applied for CARA help once and were turned down because the grant program had ended. When the council restarted grants for the district's final year, it agreed that projects already underway could qualify for new phases. That decision made Sybaris eligible again.
The second application asked for $421,770. In April the council awarded $261,940, an amount that matched the patio portion. In May, the agency clarified that the money could go to any eligible, unfinished work listed in the original application, and that work finished after the April meeting would not be reimbursed.
Sybaris opened at the depot in June 2026, held a ceremonial grand opening on July 14, and now has a sign on Lyon Street pointing diners to a Linn County parking lot across the street. Opening the dining room did not finish the project. Now that the restaurant is serving inside the depot, the grant covers the work still left to do.
Three Familiar Doors Have Work Due by Spring
The other three downtown awards went to places that are already open and busy. The money pays for parts of a building you notice when you walk in.
Albany Civic Theater received $42,000 for its entry at 111 W. First Ave. At the May meeting, the discussion centered on a new doorway and an awning with ornamental details. The theater is listing its 2026–27 season at the same address.
DeLuxe Brewing received $85,900 for restrooms and windows at 635 NE Water Ave., the largest of the three awards. During public comment, a speaker described DeLuxe as a family-friendly gathering place and a neighborhood anchor on Water Avenue. This week's calendar includes Music Bingo on October 8 and Dogtoberfest on Saturday, October 10.
Calapooia Brewery received $45,908 to replace windows at 140 NE Hill St. Its weekly events continue on the Albany Visitors Association calendar.
None of the public sources we checked say whether work has started at any of these three buildings. The firm date is the city's spending deadline. Any new windows, restrooms or the theater's awning that appear over the winter belong to this program, and the work has to be finished by May 1, 2027.
The Cumberland Is Using Its Grant for a Building That Isn't Open Yet
The Cumberland Community Events Center received the largest award after Sybaris, $109,100, and it is the only funded building that is not yet open to the public. A volunteer nonprofit is restoring the 1892 church, which was moved in 2021 to the corner of Santiam Road and Pine Street. At the May meeting, supporters described it as a future community gathering place for East Albany.
Restore Oregon's 2026 update says the work still ahead includes restoring the windows and front door. The Cumberland's own plan calls for finishing the design and getting city approvals in 2026, then repairing and restoring the existing interior in 2027. The group has started holding events at the building. On May 9, 2026, it celebrated the church's 134th birthday by ringing the restored bell and giving tours, and more than 50 people attended.
The Cumberland's October newsletter has no opening date yet. It does set the date for the annual Murder Mystery Dinner, April 10, 2027, with tickets on sale January 2. That evening will include an update on "what's happening INSIDE the historic Cumberland building." The dinner falls three weeks before the grant spending deadline.
Some First Avenue Buildings Didn't Get Funded
With requests nearly three times the money available, some downtown buildings got nothing. The 1875 John Briggs Building at 333 W. First Ave. applied for fire-safety, sprinkler, apartment and historic facade work. The Peterson Building/Murphy Seed Store at 343 First Ave. asked for a small sewer-line repair. The Grove Church/Venetian Theater at 241 W. First Ave. also applied. None of them received an award before the pool ran out.
This is the second effect of the deadline. Because the district is closing, these projects cannot apply in a later round. Any work on these First Avenue facades will now have to be paid for some other way.
Water Avenue Got the Other Half
Half of CARA's last money went toward Pacific Power's cost of putting the Water Avenue power lines underground. The western four blocks of Water Avenue had been closed since April 2025. They reopened on November 21, 2025 as a "plaza street," designed to close temporarily for events like markets, and Hering described the reopening as the completion of the final part of the $22 million Albany Waterfront Project. Five days later the handrails were installed on the new stairs down to the Dave Clark Path, and the barricades came down.
The plaza street hosted its first event on April 18, 2026, when the Albany Farmers' Market returned to the riverfront. The market set up on part of the street and the neighboring parking lot, and artisans set up along Water Avenue. For the 2026 season, the Visitors Association calendar lists the Farmers' Market and the Albany Artisan Faire every Saturday at Water Avenue and Ferry Street, a short walk from the DeLuxe Brewing windows the grant is paying to replace.
The Next Dates on the Calendar
- October 10, 2026: Dogtoberfest at DeLuxe Brewing.
- November 30, 2026: The new deadline for a development agreement on 300 W. First Ave., the former Wells Fargo property. The agency extended it on a 5-2 vote in May, after the project team raised possible utility-clearance and alley issues. The team said moving the Pacific Power lines underground there could cost more than $300,000. The developer's option on the site expires in November 2026.
- April 10, 2027: The Cumberland's Murder Mystery Dinner, with an update on the work inside the church.
- May 1, 2027: Spending deadline for all five grant projects.
- June 30, 2027: CARA ends.
Once the district closes, the property tax dollars that went to CARA each year will go back to the city, county, schools and other taxing districts that gave them up. Hering's reading of the Linn County assessor's tables is that the City of Albany's 2027–29 budget would see a revenue increase of nearly $4 million.
Some of the downtown projects starting now will be funded by those budgets instead of by urban renewal grants. Albany residents can still go to council meetings on the 300 W. First Ave. decision, see the Civic Theater's new entrance, and ring the Cumberland bell.
I'm Vanessa Corder, and I follow these changes closely because they shape the streets my clients live near and walk every day. If you own a historic building downtown, or you're thinking about what the next few years could look like for a property near First Avenue or the riverfront, I'm happy to talk it through over coffee, with no pressure. Vanessa Corder | Let's Connect.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
