Oak Harbor City Council members chose a design concept with an entrance at Gun Club Road instead of Northwest Elwha Street for the first phase of development of the city’s future regional sports park.

Council members voted unanimously in favor of the design concept that showed park access via Gun Club Road and two soccer fields side by side.

Most of those who responded to a public survey favored that option.

The city asked residents to pick between two design concepts for the first phase of development at the future regional sports park in an online survey.

Multiple people cited traffic safety concerns about an Elwha Street entrance. One difference between the two design concepts was the amount of parking. “Concept two” had 115 more parking spaces than “concept one.”

Each design concept featured six soccer fields, two multi-purpose fields, four Little League fields, four softball fields, one baseball field and a building with restrooms or concessions.

There will also be a wetland area, a play area and a perimeter trail.

The city bought the 75-acre wooded property for $1.1 million in January 2020. It plans to spend another $1 million over the next two years to develop the park, although it will likely take five or six more years for it to be finished.

The total budget is $2.4 million, according to the city’s capital plan.

The property has been referred to as Harbor Heights, but it will be renamed through a formal park naming process in the future.