The City of Oak Harbor is considering changing the zoning of 75 acres on Gun Club Road that it bought earlier this year for $1.1 million.

The city plans to use the “Harbor Heights” property as a park in the future, and received some public feedback from neighbors.

Twelve people submitted public comments via an online survey or by emailing Senior Planner Cac Kamak about the proposed zoning change.

Most comments were in favor of the change, Kamak said during a Planning Commission meeting Oct. 27, although he noted that there were some concerns about homelessness and what the edges of the park will look like.

Kamak said the city could try to use grant funding to create soccer fields on the site.

The property is currently zoned for industrial use and the city wants to change it for recreational use; changing the zoning is the first step to developing the park, he explained.

More opportunities for public comment will come in the future as the project progresses, he said.

The city bought the property for $1,145,894 at the end of January according to Island County tax assessor records and city accounts payable documents.

The otal budget for the land purchase and improvements to the property is $2,375,000, according to the city’s Capital Improvements Plan for 2020-25 developed in December 2019.