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Shelby County planners approve removal and rezoning of 175.5 acres on Double Oak Mountain for Forever Wild conservation
Summary
The Shelby County Planning Commission voted April 20 to remove and rezone about 175.5 acres along Double Oak Mountain so the land can be conveyed to the Alabama Forever Wild Land Trust for public conservation and hiking trails. Approval is conditional: if the property is not conveyed to Forever Wild the removal and rezoning are rescinded.
On April 20, 2026, the Shelby County Planning Commission approved two linked actions to take roughly 175.5 acres along the ridgeline of Double Oak Mountain out of the Town of Mt Laurel Special District and rezone it as SD (Forever Wild Land Trust) for conveyance to the Alabama Forever Wild Land Trust.
The actions—filed as SD26-001 (master plan amendment) and SD26-002 (rezoning)—were presented to the commission by Senior Planner Kristine Goddard and supported by applicant Nick Dawson of EBSCO Development Company, Inc. Dawson said the requests reflect "a founding principal of Mt Laurel is to protect the Dunnavant Valley ecosystem" and that EBSCO views the conveyance as consistent with the development’s conservation goals. County Manager Chad Scroggins described the prospective sale as "a unique opportunity" and said Shelby County previously committed to partner on the purchase by offering 25 percent of the appraised and accepted purchase price in April 2025; he estimated the acquisition would increase publicly conserved acreage in the area to "approximately 1,700 acres." Scott Prescott, president of the Friends of Dunnavant Valley Greenway, spoke in favor and said his organization and Cahaba Riverkeepers strongly support the conveyance.
The commission approved SD26-001 and SD26-002 by votes recorded as 5-0-1 (one abstention). Both approvals include the same condition: failure of the identified property to be conveyed to the Alabama Forever Wild Land Trust will rescind the removal from the Mt Laurel Special District Master Plan and the rezoning. The resolutions specify the site area along the Double Oak Mountain ridgeline and reference contour limits and parcel identifiers included in the staff packet.
According to staff presentations and the motion language, the Special District zoning for the parcel will limit uses to recreational hiking and mountain hiking trails and restrict trailhead parking, restroom facilities, and other development on the Forever Wild property; staff and the county manager said there are no plans to construct trailheads, restrooms, or parking on the parcel. The record lists parcel IDs and describes the area as approximately 175.5 acres to be removed from the SD (Mt Laurel) Master Plan to enable sale and public conservation by the Forever Wild Land Trust.
The actions were supported by the Planning Commission but carry the contingency that if the conveyance does not occur the removal and rezoning are voided. The commission's approval directs that the condition be included in the signed resolutions and the staff packet will retain the full documentation and any written public comments.
