The Village Pizzeria building is now owned solely by Paul and Micky Sarkis.

After 21 years running Langley’s pizza shop on First Street, the white building with a glittering view of Saratoga Passage is theirs. Paul Sarkis said he has no plans to change or alter the building any further and the pies will keep cooking just as they have been for two decades.

“Everything will continue to be the same,” Sarkis said Monday.

The sale effectively scraps once-published development plans for the property owned by Richard Francisco. After floating a major development of the property in late May 2014, Francisco backed away upon hearing resistance from Langley City Hall and the public. His local representative, real estate agent Leanne Finlay, said he was not planning on pursuing anything with the remaining property Francisco owns along First Street. The remaining 105 feet of First Street property, which also includes 215 feet of waterfront property below the bluff, owned by Francisco is up for sale.

“At my age, I didn’t want to mess with any aggravation,” Francisco said in a phone interview from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico on Monday afternoon.

“The way things were with the city, it seemed I was fighting an uphill battle,” he added.

The Sarkises purchased a lot a little larger than the building’s footprint, including part of the outdoor dining area, for about $950,000. Francisco said it was under the appraisal, but he and Sarkis had already agreed to the price before and he felt it was a fair price.

“He’s the right guy to own it,” Francisco said. “He’s a good community person, they’ve been there a long time and everybody loves the place.”

“I had no other reason to sell it,” he added. “I would have never sold it if I could have gone forward with the project.”

Any development along the remaining property would not block the pizzeria’s water view. Francisco said the deal included a water view easement that precluded any new building from rising higher than street level.

Only recently did the pizzeria gain a sweeping view of Saratoga Passage. The Sarkises expanded the pizzeria into the back of the old white building, converting the former Whidbey Inn into the restaurant’s added dining area and full-service bar. Sarkis estimated the remodel grew the restaurant from 1,000 square feet to more than 4,000. Expansion cost about $250,000, and he said it is starting to pay off with increased business.

It was unclear as of press time how the cost was divided between Sarkis and Francisco.

“It’s been a steep growth rate curve,” Sarkis said. 

The pizzeria has more than 20 employees, many of whom are full time. Sarkis said the main reason he and his wife opted to purchase the building was to be able to dictate terms for the building and secure the future of their business.

“We’ll just be our own landlord,” Sarkis said.

Finlay, who represents several commercial properties on South Whidbey, said the sale of the First Street pizzeria is a sign of a rebounding market in the area and the city of Langley.

“It’s a really wonderful thing for everybody, and for the city,” she said.

Added Francisco: “The best deals happen when both parties are happy.”