Suggested Improvements to Opelika

While Opelika still has a long way to go to addressing walkability and community health, there are many minor adjustments that the city can work on to substantially improve quality of life in the short term. As seen in the case studies, many of these small changes can make a huge, noticeable difference.

1. Establish crosswalks at 6th & Ave A and 6th & Ave B. Better safety and walkability crossing the street is needed to establish connectivity between the downtown core and the Jeter neighborhood. The entire road between these two intersections should be cut to one lane on each side, allowing for a bike lane and a median to act as a pedestrian island. This would substantially improve safety and accessibility for the Jeter neighborhood.

2. Consider infill development projects on top of underused parking spaces, especially ones closer to the downtown core. Circled are two examples of areas that could be converted into storefronts or housing. Increased infill development in areas like this would cut down on transportation costs and time spent.

3. Road diets along Ave A & Ave B should be done to cut the number of lanes to one on each side. This will open up these roads to more pedestrian activity and more connectivity to the Carver neighborhood. In addition, it would encourage future expansion of the downtown area.

4. Road diets are needed on both 1st & 2nd Street here. This is the northwest gateway into downtown, so slowing cars is important for safety and to encourage more pedestrian activity. This would also encourage future expansion of the downtown area to across the railroad tracks.

5. The nearby hospital is one of the driving industries for Opelika which has encouraged more developments near this area. To capitalize on this, the city should establish a walkable, mixed-use corridor at the 5-point intersection, which already sees a lot of traffic.

6. The corridor leading from the hospital to downtown should be re-zoned along 1st street to allow for walkable, mixed-use parcels. This would allow a much more natural connection between two important nodes in Opelika, the hospital and downtown.