Wenatchee advances Pybus South Parking Lot upgrade to boost access, add EV charging

WENATCHEE — The City Council has advanced City Project 2317, the Pybus South Parking Lot upgrade, moving a long-planned makeover of the gravel overflow lot at Pybus Public Market toward construction. The city-owned site, about 1.5 acres across three parcels, was purchased with the condition that it continue serving Pybus parking. After reviewing alternatives in 2023, the city selected “Option B,” a plan to regrade the current two-tier layout into a single, flatter surface that maximizes parking while meeting landscaping requirements and improving the look and function of the space.

To help pay for the work, Washington’s Department of Commerce awarded a $663,000 grant to bring electric-vehicle charging to the lot and fund related site improvements. Because that grant requires a 25% local match, the Council approved a budget amendment (about $100,000 toward the match) and authorized a subcontract with the Pybus Market Charitable Foundation so the nonprofit can reimburse the city for staff time tied to design and delivery. Staff reported the design is roughly 60% complete, with a goal to bid the project early next year and break ground in spring, with early summer 2026 as the outside window depending on coordination with market and farmers market operations.

City engineers say flattening and paving the lot will do a lot more than add stalls. A single-grade layout improves circulation, pedestrian safety, ADA access, and visibility during high-volume weekends and events. Paving should also cut dust and mud, reduce uncontrolled runoff compared to gravel, and make year-round maintenance simpler — practical upgrades for a site that sees heavy use in all seasons.

The investment is aimed squarely at a regional asset. Since opening in the restored E.T. Pybus steel warehouse on the riverfront in 2013, Pybus Public Market has become a civic living room for the valley. It’s two blocks from downtown, right off the Apple Capital Loop Trail, and home to restaurants, specialty merchants, patios, and a flexible event space used throughout the year. The market regularly hosts the Wenatchee Valley Farmers Market and a dense calendar of community happenings, drawing steady foot traffic from Chelan to Cashmere to Leavenworth and beyond. On peak Saturdays the place hums; organized, reliable parking keeps that energy from spilling unhelpfully onto nearby streets.

Bringing EV chargers to the south lot meets growing demand along the riverfront corridor and supports visitors who arrive for breakfast, the farmers market, an afternoon class, or an evening concert. It also aligns with the city’s push to modernize public amenities in high-use areas without shifting costs onto small businesses and vendors who rely on the market’s draw.

Taken together, the work is a routine infrastructure project, but with outsized benefits: Protect access to a cultural anchor, add capacity where it’s most needed, and deliver cleaner, safer operations at a site that serves the whole valley. With funding lined up, design well underway, and construction targeted for spring, the Pybus South Parking Lot upgrade looks set to turn a dusty overflow area into a reliable gateway to one of North Central Washington’s busiest public spaces.

Andrew Simpson: 509-433-7626 or andrew@ward.media