Comprehensive Plan

2020 Comprehensive Plan Introduction

During the months of March, April, May and June in 2009 the subcommittee of the 2020 Opelika Comprehensive Plan met weekly to hear from directors and staff of several different city departments and Opelika Utilities, Opelika City Schools, Auburn/Opelika Airport Authority, and East Alabama Medical Center to review their input into the 2020 Comprehensive Plan and make recommendations.

Historically, the Comprehensive Plan has been a five (5) year document. The Planning Department and Planning Commission felt that a ten (10) year time frame was needed, with updated information at specific times. This will keep the 2020 Comprehensive Plan current and useful as a continuing work in progress. The Planning Commission gratefully appreciates the time and thought these subcommittee members contributed towards this endeavor.

How We Plan

Planning is a uniquely human activity. We plan a vacation in order to visit what we want to do in the time allowed. We plan for our children to prepare them for adulthood. We plan for our retirement, trying to manage our financial resources to achieve health and security in later years. We plan because we recognize the strategic advantage of anticipating change, identifying problems, and then following through on opportunities. We plan for Opelika’s future growth and development, too! We want to make the most efficient use of our land and our past investments in utility services, school buildings, parks, and streets. Planning reflects a fundamental desire for a better future.

Our Current Plan

This Opelika 2020 Comprehensive Plan embodies our ideas about making Opelika a better place to live and work. It embraces our desire to create our future, manage changes that come from outside and actively direct change within our City. The Comprehensive Plan gives the citizens in Opelika’s physical development process a common vision to work toward. It inspires us with a vision of what might be possible for our citizens. If it is successful, the 2020 Comprehensive Plan may be one of the most important planning efforts ever taken by Opelika.