A Stanwood businessman is preparing to buy and renovate the former Mi Pueblo restaurant near historic downtown Oak Harbor, turning it into an Alfy’s pizza restaurant that could open this summer.

Within three years, Brett Olson, CEO of the family-owned Alfy’s chain, wants to erect retail space and apartments on the property.

“We’ve built our image by supporting communities over the years, and we want to be a full part of the community in Oak Harbor,” said Olson, 53, during a recent visit to the now-vacant building at 916 S.E. Bayshore Drive.

“Oak Harbor is blue-collar, and that’s what we’re about. We’re not fancy. We’re family-oriented.”

Alfy’s specializes in half-priced pizza during the lunch hour and an all-you-can-eat salad bar. Families of four can eat dinner for as little as $20, and a couple can eat lunch for as little as $10, Olson said. Customers order at a counter, sit where they wish and have their food brought to their tables by a server.

Soft drinks are self-service.

But, as befits its waterfront locale, this Alfy’s location will be a bit more upscale than the eight others in the chain, Olson said. It will have a 20-foot-long salad bar, with 45-50 containers for ingredients, while most of the chain’s salad bars are only 14 feet long. It will feature a more extensive range of salads and sandwiches. It will offer banquet space on both the upper and lower floors, each accommodating groups of up to 40 people.

The entire upstairs, accommodating up to 100 people, will be available for big groups. And, of course, both levels offer killer vistas.

“The views of the bay and the marina are amazing,” Olson said. “It’s really an incredible opportunity for us here.”

A game room on the ground floor will include pinball, video games and crane games for younger players. No hard liquor will be served, and there won’t be a bar, but as many as 12 beers will be on tap, available by the glass or pitcher, as will a selection of decent wines, Olson said.

A set-off area on the main floor would be the perfect size to accommodate a Navy squadron, he observed. No live entertainment is planned, but TVs will show sporting events. Hours will be 11 a.m. to 9 or 10 p.m., depending on the season.

Alfy’s was founded in the mid-1960s by Olson’s late father, Bruce, and was incorporated in 1973, he said. His son, Blake, 30, worked his way up to become the chain’s director of operations. Brett’s wife, Tina, directs redecorating.

She’ll be busy. The Oak Harbor building has been vacant for two years and smells it. The walls are covered with corny paintings, the ceiling tiles are stained, discolored and often missing, and the carpeting is downright spooky.

“It needs new paint, new lighting and a good cleaning,” Olson acknowledged. “We’ll strip the wood and re-do the floors and replace the heating and cooling system. But the building itself is all concrete. It’s sound. The kitchen is fantastic, the electrical panels are good, the roof is in great shape.”

Wherever possible, Olson said he is using local subcontractors.

The existing settees, booths and most interior walls will be retained, to give the maximum flexibility in seating parties of varying sizes. The existing traffic flow is excellent, he said.

Some of the floors may be redone in tinted concrete, which has worked well in other Alfy’s locations and isn’t too noisy when used in conjunction with the planned acoustical ceiling tiles, he said. Tiled self-serve beverage stations will be located on each level.

The restaurant will employ 25-30 people, all of them locals except for the manager, Olson said. At 5,300 square feet, it will be smaller than his other locations, most of which are 6,400 square feet, he said. It will seat up to 200 people, compared to 240 in his other locations. “We need that space,” he said, because business is brisk.

Like all Alfy’s, the new location will offer delivery, and if it’s typical, it will get up to 20 groups on some weekend days, each with 20-45 people, he said.

The groups might include sports teams, the Boys & Girls Club, school districts, police and fire groups and healthcare workers, he said.

Oak Harbor was an attractive site for a new Alfy’s because of its size, not to mention the projected expansion of Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Olson said.

“Our Granite Falls store serves a population of 3,700, and you have more than 20,000 (in Oak Harbor),” he said.

On the other hand, the city already has many other pizza restaurants, including Domino’s, Little Caesars, Louie-G’s Pizza, Pappa John’s, Papa Murphy’s and Pizza Hut.

So how will Alfy’s compete?

“We have those competitors in all our service areas, and we’ve been doing fine for 45 years,” he said. “We’re distinguished by our salad bar, banquet facilities and game room.”

Alfy’s also takes all competitors’ discount coupons.

Alfy’s currently owns restaurants in Everett, Granite Falls, Marysville, Monroe, Silverlake, Smokey Point and Snohomish.

The business is profitable, he said, declining to reveal net income or annual revenue.

He also declined to say how much he paid for the land and the building. Escrow closing is set for May 14.

The planned apartment buildings would nestle up against the Southeast Pioneer Way retaining wall at the north end of Olson’s property. That area is currently part of a large parking lot.

The floor on the Southeast Bayshore Drive level would house covered parking for tenants, the floor at the level of Pioneer Way would house retail space, and several floors — totaling up to 55 feet above Pioneer Way — would house up to 12 apartments, some with primo water views.

“I know housing is very limited here, and it would not be a problem keeping them occupied,” Olson said.