The Opelika Planning Commission voted to table a proposed annexation and preliminary plat for a roughly 94-acre property (listed on the agenda with a 0391 parcel reference) after residents asked detailed questions about buffers, drainage and water service.

Ronald Sinkfield, who said his property is immediately behind proposed lots 36 and 37, sought clarification on how the plat would affect boundaries and stormwater, and whether buffers or privacy fencing would separate his yard from new lots. Staff explained that where adjoining properties share the same zoning there is typically no mandated buffer and that several lots near property lines are in a flood or stream area and would likely remain undeveloped.

Sinkfield and other residents asked how stormwater from proposed detention ponds would be handled. One resident asked, “After they hit those ponds, where is that water going? Because I'm no professional kayaker, but I have a 5 acre pond in my yard and it overflows my dam constantly. Where this would be a class 3 rapid in my front yard.” Staff replied the ponds shown on the preliminary plat are placeholders; final pond designs and hydraulics have not been completed and the detention feature is intended to hold and slowly discharge runoff to match pre-development flows.

Residents also asked whether city water could supply the new lots at required pressure. Staff said there is a water main in the area and the site can be served, but engineers must confirm whether pressure and service levels meet the developer’s needs.

Staff recommended tabling the annexation and plat so the applicant could evaluate options, given that annexation brings the property into city codes (including a building/life-safety code that restricts the number of homes on a single access road without a secondary access or sprinklers). The commission approved the motion to table and will reconsider the annexation when the applicant returns with revised materials.