Summary

Opelika Planning Commission — Actions on rezoning, conditional uses, and plats (Feb 24, 2026)

OpelikaFeb 24, 20262 min read

At a glance

Quick context to catch up fast.

The Opelika Planning Commission met Feb 24, 2026 and approved the Jan 17, 2026 minutes. Staff announced a City Council-approved moratorium effective May 1, 2026. The Commission recommended rezoning and a future land use amendment for an 18.1-acre property on Society Hill Road to allow commercial development, granted multiple conditional use approvals (including a 252-unit apartment proposal and several commercial/warehouse and mixed-use projects), approved a preliminary 6‑lot plat for Springs at Opelika with conditions, and took the Highline final plat off the agenda. A rezoning request for 21.6 acres on Dunlop Drive failed to receive a positive recommendation.

Committees mentioned

Open the committee coverage hubs tied to this summary.

General

Topics discussed

TransportationCommerceHousingUtilities

View official document

Was this summary helpful?

Your feedback helps us prioritize what to improve next.

Key decisions

Follow the major takeaways from this briefing.

Approved Planning Commission minutes from January 17, 2026.
Announced City Council-approved moratorium to take effect May 1, 2026.
Highline SD final plat (56 lots at 2410 Cunningham Drive) was taken off the agenda by the applicant.
Sent a positive recommendation to City Council to rezone 18.1 acres at 3310 Society Hill Road from R-1 to C-2, GC-P (with staff recommendations).
Sent a positive recommendation to City Council to amend the Future Land Use map for the 18.1-acre property (3310 Society Hill Road) from mixed residential to local commercial.
Granted conditional use approval for a 252-unit apartment development on ~16.35 acres at 3310 Society Hill Road (density ~15.41 units/acre) with staff conditions, including extension of the multi-use path along Gateway Drive and internal sidewalk connections.
Granted preliminary plat approval for Springs at Opelika SD (6 lots on ~34.47 acres) with staff conditions, including sidewalks on Gateway Drive, an underground utilities requirement, and a pond maintenance note on the final plat.
Granted conditional use approval for a mixed-use project at 410 Geneva Street (4 cottages & 6 loft apartments) subject to Historic Preservation Commission standards and staff recommendations.
Granted conditional use approval for a contractor office & warehouse development at 85 Veterans Parkway (VOPD LLC) with conditions (no outside storage; screened dumpster/enclosure) after prior approval had expired.
Granted conditional use approval for Extreme Powersports (ATV sales & maintenance) at 4800 Birmingham Highway with conditions on fencing, display surfaces, and site appearance.
Granted conditional use approval for a commercial warehouse development at 1011 and 1025 Walker Gray Court with landscaping and buffer requirements along the northern and eastern lot lines.
Motion to recommend rezoning 21.6 acres at 598 Dunlop Drive from R-1 to R-3 & R-2 failed to receive a positive recommendation.

Timeline & follow-ups

Action items flagged by the community.

No follow-ups have been shared yet. Add one in the community board below.

Meeting information

Details and records from this meeting.

Planning Commission Meeting

Feb 24, 2026, 3:00 PM300 Martin Luther King Blvd., Opelika, Alabama 36801-2054completed

Agenda

I. WELCOME - Some items at this meeting will have a designated public hearing (noted below). Individuals are limited to one 5-minute comment period per public hearing.
II. APPROVAL OF MINUTES
III. UPDATE ON PREVIOUS CASES
IV. NEW BUSINESS
A. FINAL PLAT
Decision: NEW BUSINESS
1. Highline SD, 56 lots, 2410 Cunningham Drive, Aaron Adams, authorized representative for James G. McClain Jr., property owner, final approval.
Decision: NEW BUSINESS
B. REZONING, AMENDMENT TO 2040 COMPREHENSIVE PLAN, CONDITIONAL USE and PRELIMINARY PLAT – Public Hearing
Decision: NEW BUSINESS
2. (a) Rezoning Request, Marc McLaughlin, authorized representative for Capps Family Partners LTD, property owners, 3310 Society Hill Road, 18.1 acres, from R-1 to C-2. (b) Amendment to Land Use Plan, 18.1 acres, 3310 Society Hill Road, from mixed residential to local commercial.
Decision: NEW BUSINESS
3. CONDITIONAL USE - Public Hearing Marc McLaughlin, authorized representative for Capps Family Partners LTD, property owners, 3310 Society Hill Road, 18.1 acres, from C-2 pending rezoning approval, Four commercial buildings and 252 apartment units.
Decision: NEW BUSINESS
4. PLAT (Preliminary Only) — Public Hearing Springs at Opelika SD, 6 lots, Marc McLaughlin, authorized representative for Capps Family Partners, LTD, property owners, 3310 Society Hill Road, preliminary approval.
Decision: NEW BUSINESS
C. CONDITIONAL USE – Public Hearing
Decision: NEW BUSINESS
5. Josh Mura, Samford Group, LLC, authorized representative for Southside Opelika LLC, property owners, 410 Geneva Street, Mixed Use Commercial and Residential (4 cottages & 6 loft apartments).
Decision: NEW BUSINESS
6. Lee Tharp, authorized representative for VOPD LLC, property owner, 1.1 acres, 85 Veterans Parkway, Commercial multi-tenant office/warehouse development.
Decision: NEW BUSINESS
7. Barrett-Simpson, Inc. Blake Rice, authorized representative for JD Real Properties, LLC, property owner, 4800 Birmingham Highway at Grand National Parkway, C-3, GC-P, Extreme Powersports ATVs sales and maintenance.
Decision: NEW BUSINESS
8. Jason Scott Hise, property owner, 1025 and 1011 Walker Gray Court, C-3, Commercial warehouse building.
Decision: NEW BUSINESS
D. REZONING - Public Hearing
Decision: NEW BUSINESS
9. Rezoning Request, Josh Mura, Samford Group LLC, authorized representative for Dunlop Family Investments LLC,property owners, 21.6 acres, 598 Dunlop Drive, from R-1 to R-3 & R-2.
Decision: NEW BUSINESS
10. (a)Rezoning Request, Alan Dorn, authorized representative for War Eagle Properties, LLC, property owners, 113.4 acres, 4600 block Birmingham Highway, from R-2 to C-3, GC-P. (b) Amendment to Land Use Plan, 4600 block Birmingham Highway, 113.4 acres, War Eagle Properties, LLC, property owners, from Office/Business Park and Single-Family Neighborhood to Office/Business Park.
Decision: NEW BUSINESS
E. ANNEXATION
Decision: NEW BUSINESS
11. Annexation, Janie Payton Powers and John Austin Morgan, property owners, 4.6 acres, 223 Lee Road 799, R-1 zoning district requested.
Decision: NEW BUSINESS
V. OLD BUSINESS
F. CONDITIONAL USE and PRELIMINARY PLAT — Public Hearing
Decision: OLD BUSINESS
12. Lee Tharp (Kadre Engineering), authorized representative for Richard D. Starr and James L. Starr, property owners, 1500 block Century Boulevard, R-5 pending rezoning approval, 48 townhomes. ( This item was tabled at the January 27th Planning Commission meeting .)
Decision: OLD BUSINESS
13. Century Park SD, 48 lots, 1500 block Century Boulevard, Lee Tharp (Kadre Engineering), authorized representative for Richard D. Starr and James L. Starr, property owners, preliminary approval pending rezoning approval. ( This item was tabled at the January 27th Planning Commission meeting .)
Decision: OLD BUSINESS
VI. ADJOURN