Drilling Operations North of Wildwood Subdivision
March 30, 2007
In mid-March, many Wildwood residents received an offer from the Harding Company and Petrocasa Energy to lease the homeowners’ mineral rights. It appears that the preferred drilling site is just north of the western portion of Wildwood.
The prospect of drilling near residences has caused understandable concern among some of the residents. I wanted to address some of the issues involved to help keep those affected informed.
Cedar Hill Ordinances
Simply put, current Cedar Hill ordinances prohibit drilling in residentially zoned areas. Drilling is only allowed in three zones:
- Commercial zones
- Industrial zones; and
- Industrial Park zones.
Before any drilling can be conducted in those zones, the operator must go through a permitting process through our Planning and Zoning Department. To date, neither the Harding Company or Petrocasa Energy have started the permitting process.
The location that the Harding Company seeks to drill is residentially zoned. Therefore, drilling is prohibited under current ordinances. In order for drilling to take place, the ordinance would have to be changed.
Something similar occurred in Fort Worth where the City Council changed their ordinances to allow drilling, but established comprehensive standards by which all drilling operations must be conducted.
At this point, the Cedar Hill City Council has not considered any changes to the ordinances.
Going Forward
Opinions among homeowners likely will differ about the prospect of nearby drilling operations. I would encourage those of you with an opinion one way or the other to contact me. You can email me at wade@wadeemmert.com or respond on my website at wadeemmert.com.
Similar Posts
Comments
Welcome!
My name is Wade Emmert and I am a Council Member for the City of Cedar Hill. This web site is a way for me to share with you some of my thoughts about issues important to the City.
It is my sincerest goal to be a good steward of the citizens’ trust. Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to serve you.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me at Wade.Emmert@cedarhilltx.com or (214) 740-3164.