The Opelika Planning Commission voted to forward a positive recommendation to city council for a rezoning application affecting roughly 73 acres on the southwest side of Crawford Road, but not before residents raised safety concerns and the developer outlined concessions.

Planning staff described the request to rezone property from R-1 to a planned unit development. The application shows two access points and a stream through the middle of the site; staff said the revised plan reduces overall density and increases buffers to respond to neighborhood concerns. David Green, representing the applicant, told the commission: "we did take our density down from 2 23 to 1 71," and said interior lots are now 60 feet and exterior lots 70 feet, with larger buffers (about 25 feet in most areas). He also said a traffic study has been submitted to the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) and recommends turn lanes at key entrances.

Resident Ezekiel Rollins, who said he lives at 1305 Crawford Road and sits at the corner of the affected property, testified that he opposed the rezoning. "I don't like the idea of having, like, a turn lane in front of my house," Rollins said, expressing concerns about traffic volume and construction impacts. Staff and commissioners acknowledged those concerns but emphasized that ALDOT controls approvals for turn-lane work on state routes and that the traffic-study recommendations shaped the proposed turn-lane locations.

Engineering staff reported no local engineering objections to the rezoning concept, but noted that ALDOT review is a necessary step for the turn-lane design. Staff recommended — and the commission required as conditions — sidewalks on both sides of new streets, underground utilities where feasible and a minimum of one tree per single-family lot. Commissioners asked that the applicant provide access-street construction plans and that required access be provided prior to construction plan approval; the commission voted to forward a positive recommendation to city council under those conditions.

Next steps: city council will consider the rezoning request; if council approves, ALDOT must review and approve the proposed turn-lane modifications before related construction can proceed.