The Oak Harbor Planning Commission’s recommendation to the City Council regarding the proposed expansion of the city’s urban growth area by 33 acres?

Don’t approve it.

Bremerton developer Paul Pazooki initially identified the land as an ideal location for a shopping center, which immediately raised the ire of many in the community and led to a series of volatile public hearings. The parcel is located on the west side of Highway 20 south of Waterloo Road.

The fate of the controversial comprehensive plan amendment now lies in the hands of the Oak Harbor City Council, which will ultimately decide whether to accept the commission’s recommendation.

Addressing the commissioners, Pazooki said he has searched for commercial land in Oak Harbor for two years. The city is in need of commercial development, he said, evidenced by the amount of money that leaves the city and island as people search for stores elsewhere.

“People want other places to shop,” he said.

Of the many benefits Pazooki said the shopping center would bring, a major perk he highlighted resulted in a collective moan from the crowd.

“One of the major benefits of it is, believe it or not, traffic control,” he said.

With 20 or 30 business located in one expansive area, consumers will stay within the complex, he opined, which would effectively eliminate vehicles going in and out of the shopping center.

“It does provide for one-stop shopping, so to speak,” Pazooki said. “It attracts people to spend money on the island rather than go outside.”

Gerald Pitsch, who lives on West Beach Road, bemoaned the possibility of additional big box stores being built in Oak Harbor. With the emergence of large stores, urban sprawl would ensue, he said, with traffic bottlenecks in tow.

Jerry Homola was emphatic in his disapproval of the proposed expansion. He said a 20-minute drive around town reveals ample developable land that would not require agricultural or forested areas.

“It is bad planning. Period,” he said.

Long-time commercial real estate broker GayLynn Beighton of Edmonds told the commission that industrial property is typically the best land to have in a city, generating goods that bring revenue to a community.

“It makes the city wealthy is what it does,” said Beighton, who owns a second home on West Beach Road. As proof, she said Tukwila is the wealthiest city in Puget Sound due to its industrial component.

Jumping to the point under duress from the commission, she then denounced the 33-acre growth area expansion.

“That’s the real reason I’m here,” she said. “I’m really against that.”

Thomas Garrod acknowledged the prime location of the property. However, as he sees it the shopping center would siphon shoppers away from downtown. He said that urban sprawl “cannibalizes from inside to outside.”

“We’re moving out when we don’t need to,” he said. “Go back into town and use your imagination.”

Oak Harbor resident Vern Pederson beseeched the commissioners to break the mold of two-dimensional thinking that he said is gobbling up rural lands and could potentially turn Oak Harbor into a “free range Burlington.” In a moment of levity, he proposed putting a big box store on the expansive roof of Wal-Mart.

Steve Foster, who lives in unincorporated Oak Harbor, said that a poll taken by the planning commission revealed that people place quality of life high on their list of priorities. He was unable to equate shopping centers with the citizens’ wishes. At the current rate of growth and with the proposed growth area expansions, he added, people residing outside of Oak Harbor will soon be included in the city limits.

Once the public comment period closed, the commissioners wasted no time in rendering their decision, unanimously agreeing to recommend the city council deny the expansion.

Commissioner Keith Fakkema said when there is an established body objecting to the sale of a property, the members of the dissenting group should be prepared to purchase it themselves.

“It seems like we are still dealing with people’s personal property and we’re making judgments that affect them personally,” he said. “I think we need to be careful how we do that.”

Rich Almberg said the planning commission has an obligation to the public to deal with urgencies.

“And the urgency right now is not our shortage of commercial space as much as it is the urgency dealing with our traffic,” he said. “I think traffic should be our priority.”

Commissioner Robert Craig said when looking at the future needs of the city, growth is inevitable and the needs will have to be filled on a commercial basis. However, he did not feel that a shopping center was currently appropriate.

“At this time I find no compelling need,” he said.

The decision was met with thunderous applause from the more than 60 people in attendance. Satisfied with the outcome, the audience filed out without any commissioner blood being shed.