OAK HARBOR: Sound Off: Role of the city in development is misunderstood (STUCKY/WNT)

Oak Harbor City Councilman Bryan Stucky wrote a Sound Off column regarding how the city interacts with private development within the city. The letter was published in the Sat., Mar. 16, 2024 edition of the Whidbey News-Times.

They Said It

There have been several new developments over the past few months that have sparked strong opinions within our community…. I’d like to share a little bit about the role of the city (and council) when it comes to these new businesses.

…[S]ome individuals are under the impression the “City” is building a hotel…. To be clear, the city is NOT building a hotel. Nor did the city council “approve” a Hilton (or a Sonic). These are being built by private individuals or corporations who decided to take on the risk of placing a location here.

The city sets zoning regulations on what types of businesses/housing units can be built and where. We do not dictate which businesses operate within those guidelines. The parcel where the Sonic will be located is zoned to allow a restaurant. It is not for the city to say, “We have too many burger places, let’s deny this one.”