The Opelika Planning Commission on Tuesday voted to send a negative recommendation to city council on a request to rezone about 20.1 acres at 255 Anderson Road from R-3 to R-4, following hours of public comment from nearby residents who said higher-density zoning would harm neighborhood character.

Planning staff told the commission the applicant seeks R-4 to allow smaller lots and additional housing types; staff contrasted R-3 and R-4 standards, noting differences in minimum lot area (10,000 vs. 7,500 square feet) and in density (roughly 3.5 units per acre under R-3 versus up to 9 units per acre under R-4). Staff said the change was inconsistent with the surrounding zoning and future land-use map and recommended denial.

“Approving this request without a clear community benefit would appear to serve private interest rather than the broader welfare of the current residents of Anderson Road,” resident John Moore told the commission, citing a petition of about 58 neighbors opposing higher density.

Julie Moore, who said she has lived on Anderson Road her entire life, described the property as family land and told commissioners she feared increased traffic and loss of trees and habitat. “I am requesting that you deny this,” she said.

Bill Perry, representing the applicant, responded that the rezoning was intended to address ingress and egress constraints and to allow a design that would accommodate up to 30 lots without crossing a stream. Perry said the plan is aimed at workforce and first-time home‑buyer housing and asserted the change would not increase density compared with earlier proposals.

Commissioners discussed the consistency of the request with surrounding zone designations and the future land-use plan. One commissioner said the proposal would create an “island” of higher density surrounded by lower-density zoning. After debate, the commission voted to deny the rezoning request and to send a negative recommendation to city council. The commission then separately voted to deny changing the future land‑use map for the parcel.

Next steps: The city council will consider the rezoning application; the planning commission’s negative recommendation will be included in the council packet. No date for the council hearing was specified in the transcript.