Outdoor Dining: Policy/Fees Fairness

by Angela Anderson, Co-Owner of Syndicate Wine, LLC

The City of Beaverton will again be discussing raising the rates for those of us with outdoor dining. After dissecting the code, David and I found that this applies to every business in Beaverton with outdoor seating. Slowly, one by one, many businesses have been exempted for various reasons. Now the code only applies to 11 small businesses (unofficially) in ALL of Beaverton. The smallest of smallest business.

Today we received an email from the Community Development Director at the City of Beaverton clarifying some of my concerns that I sent to City Council in the form of public comment for their meeting tomorrow.

I don’t think they realize that I used to work in Escrow, and I understand how to read a plat map. I understand the rights of private property owners up to the street line with a public easement for sidewalks.

1. Do you believe a policy is fair if it only applies to 11 small businesses in all of Beaverton?

2. Do you believe a policy is fair if everyone is exempted as their property is on private property? as all of us are on private property. My property is owned by a landlord just like theirs.

3. Do you believe a policy is fair if large corporate developers are exempt and smaller landlords are not?

4. Do you think a 500% increase is fair (yes, it came down from 856%), when we are only able to use our outdoor seating 4 months of the year, can’t afford to get it heated like the larger businesses who are exempt and can fund heating options?

Just asking for a friend. When we built our structures, the fee was $100. Now that they are built and we are stuck, the City of Beaverton thinks it’s fair to raise the rates without bringing us to the table for discussion.

There is a City Council meeting on this tomorrow night and then again in December. If you would like to submit written comment, please DM me and I can give you instructions. All voices need to be heard on this. Fairness!!!

Here’s a link to the meeting if you would like to listen into discussion by our elected officials:

City of Beaverton – Meeting Information

Here are some historical references for those that want to dig into fact vs. execution of the building code in question:

If code hasn’t changed since 2021, then why all this conflicting history.  The execution of this code has never been executed fairly to all of Beaverton 

specifically addressing public easements on private property incongruences 

2022 we were asked to take down our tent on private property because tents weren’t allowed year-round (public or private lots)

Picture of the Syndicate Barrel Room located in a private parking lot next to Syndicate at the corner of First and Watson.

Current Contradictory Example: Hapa Pizza has a tent in a private lot just like ours and has never been asked to take theirs down. It’s up year-round. Also, the tents on a Right of Way on public property for the city have never been taken down.

In 2023 we were asked to take down our patio sitting on a sidewalk around our building on private property. Even hit w a Voluntary Compliance Agreement and the threat of a $500 daily fee, an action that didn’t follow due process.

The 2023 iteration of outside dining at Syndicate Wine Bar neighboring our private parking lot, yet on a public easement that only leads to NW Natural meters.

Current Contradictory Example: Thai Bloom/Westgate have a patio on their side walkway of their private property building. This is exactly what we did, yet they are exempted for the same reason ours was asked to be taken down.

In 2023 the city encouraged businesses to apply to Open Air Beaverton (OAB) Street Seating program with a matching grant so that we could have our outdoor seating up year-round and permanent. We applied and were awarded this matching grant. Our structure personally cost us $7500. Yet every year since, this structure has been in question for how much the city wants to charge us in the future to recoup the costs of this program. Had we known then what we know now, we would never have applied. We are currently only able to make used of this structure 3-4 months out of the year.

2025 city announced a fee increase for OAB of 856%. Many of us testified in July how the increases would impact us. We were encouraged to work with the city in a more collaborative way

In the Fall of 2025, the mayor organized an open forum with business owners on parking issues

• we made sure to invite all of our downtown businesses neighbors.
• most attended and gave ideas. Everyone with street seats were also there
• none of the collaborative ideas included raising permit fees for those with street seats

November 2025- City council will meet to discuss fee increases and has stated this is due to the high demand on parking in downtown, which prior to this and for years, the City maintained that this is a non-issue.

Looking at the facts, it seems clear that the mayor and city employees following that meeting on parking with businesses cannot unsee that parking is a concern. That said it’s wrong to assess fees to a program that they encouraged us to participate in while turning a blind eye to the 11 parking spaces blocked by the First Street Dining Commons.