Oak Harbor will soon be “eatin’ good in the neighborhood.†And then they can walk next door and “get in the zone.â€
Two national retailers, Applebee’s restaurant and AutoZone, plan to move into Oak Harbor at the site of The Home Depot, which is currently under construction.
Applebee’s International, the largest casual-dining restaurant chain in the world, submitted a site plan application to the city of Oak Harbor this week to build a 6,060-square-foot restaurant on the west edge of The Home Depot site on Highway 20.
Also, AutoZone, the nation’s leader in automotive parts and accessories, submitted a site plan to build a 6,800-square-foot shop nearby. AutoZone will be located on the northern of the two lots.
The site plan for The Home Depot, which is due to open this spring, allows for a restaurant and another retailer. Both projects would be connected into the utilities stubs provided by The Home Depot project.
Applebee’s application was submitted by Mark McDonald of Everett. The property owner is listed as Apple American Group of Renton.
Applebee’s Neighbor Bar and Grill, headquartered in Kansas, has 1,600 restaurants in 49 states and 12 countries. It’s one of the fasting-growing, casual-dining companies, with 100 or more restaurants opening each year for the last 12 years.
According to Applebee’s Web site, applebees.com, the décor of each Applebee’s restaurant reflects its local neighborhood by displaying photographs and memorabilia highlighting hometown heroes and history, area schools and local police and fire departments.
The Applebee’s menu includes grill items, sandwiches, burgers, Weight Watchers recipes and bar drinks.
AutoZone, which began in Arkansas in 1979, now has over 3,500 stores in the U.S. and Mexico. Each store carries an extensive line for cars, sport utility vehicles, vans and light trucks, including new and remanufactured hard parts, maintenance items and accessories, according to the Web site. autozoneinc.com.
You can reach Jessie Stensland at jstensland@whidbeynewstimes.com or 675-6611.
