Sunbreak Cafe owner Bruce Alverson has put his building and land up for sale.

Alverson notified City Council members of his decision a week after they agreed to exchange key downtown property with the Stratford Company, a Seattle-based real estate developer.

The city-Stratford deal is outlined in a purchase and sales agreement that calls for swapping the two city-owned parking lots on the Sunbreak block for the north half of the block to the immediate south of Sunbreak, where the Crites and Huff buildings are today.

The idea is to consolidate Stratford’s holdings on the Sunbreak block – the Sunbreak Cafe and the land under it would be the only things it doesn’t own – and likewise lump the city’s holdings onto the Crite’s-Huff block.

Stratford has talked about building apartments on the current site of the lot east of the restaurant, complementing the condominiums and retail businesses it plans to build on the half of the block fronting West Main Street. The city plans to fold the Crite’s Huff block into the 4-block Auburn Junction project proposed by Alpert International.

Alverson says the effect of all this exchanging and consolidating will cost him the use of the parking lot he relies on and drive him out of business.

No, says Auburn Mayor Pete Lewis, the purchase and sale guarantees Alverson parking on a lot to the south of the restaurant.

“I don’t know why Bruce keeps saying that,” Lewis said. “It’s written into the agreement.”

Alverson said he had no expectations that Stratford would accept his offer. He said representatives have told him they want his land, not his building, and he will be out $800,000.

“They want to develop this whole block and cut off my parking, but I thought I should offer it to Stratford for sale, and as courtesy to inform the city council and mayor.

“... Will this sale happen? Of course not. They want to squeeze me out,” Alverson said.

In the meantime, Alverson’s petition protesting that deal and the loss of a number of trees ringing the parking lot now has gathered 1,200 signatures.

“Not a person who has signed wants those trees cut down,” Alverson declared.

Auburn’s Urban Tree Board has not yet taken up the matter, board chairman Len Elliott said Monday.

Contact Auburn Reporter News reporter Robert Whale at rwhale@auburn-reporter.com or 253-833-0218, ext. 5052.

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