AFE Oil-CS 970918 CITY OF COPPELL
PLANNING DEPARTMENT
STAFF REPORT
CASE NO.: S-1133, AFE Oil and GAS CONSULTANTS
P & Z HEARING DATE: September 18, 1997
C.C. HEARING DATE: October 14, 1997
LOCATION: Approximately 2,150 feet west of Ledbetter Road; 150 feet south
of East Belt Line Road.
SIZE OF AREA: 1 acre
CURRENT ZONING: LI (Light Industrial)
REQUEST: LI-S.U.P. (Light Industrial, Special Use Permit)
APPLICANT: AFE Oil & Gas Consultants
5025 Arapaho Road, Suite 510
Dallas TX 75248
972-661-5959
Fax 972-661-1618
HISTORY: There is no platting or zoning history on the property.
TRANSPORTATION: East Belt Line Road is a PD6 6-lane divided major arterial
thoroughfare built within a 120'-wide right-of-way.
SURROUNDING LAND USE & ZONING:
North - Railroad, golf course, concrete plant, private club; SF-12, L-I, A
South - Grapevine Creek, single-family residential; City of Irving
East vacant; City of Dallas, City of Carrollton
West - vacant; PD-MF-2
Item # 4
COMPREHENSIVE PLAN: The Comprehensive Plan shows the property suitable for
light industrial/showroom uses.
DISCUSSION: The proposed well site is on 254 acres of land most of which is in flood
plain. The Engineering Department will require flood studies prior to
development of the well site.
The location is within 150 feet of Belt Line Road, a primary image zone.
It is also at one of the main entrances to the city. The Coppell Streetscape
Plan recommends the planting of Cedar Elms with accent trees in
groupings along the entire approximately IA-mile frontage of the 254
acres, for a total of about 65 trees. Existing overhead power lines extend
across the front of the property, adjoining the north property line. The
254 acres also contains a nonconforming use, consisting of a private club
located in the "A" Agricultural District.
From a planning staff perspective, if all the engineering and flood plain
issues can be resolved, if safety issues are properly addressed, if a
producing well will not be visible from Belt Line Road, if the Streetscape
Plan can be implemented, and if the nonconforming uses can be phased
out, the proposal will have merit. The major task will be to stage these
events within reasonable time periods as subsurface developments take
place.
Therefore, the planning staff recommendation will include 19 conditions.
The fu'st 15 deal primarily with safety issues and are identical to
conditions included in the Special Use Permits for the two gas wells
located on the Callejo property on the northwest side of the city. The
remaining 4 deal with screening and the streetscape and nonconforming
use issues associated with the subject property.
RECOMMENDATION TO THE PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION:
Staff recommends approval subject to the site plan, engineering comments, and
the following conditions:
1) Drilling shall be limited to gas exploration only;
2) If the well is dry, applicant shall return the site to pre-well
conditions;
3) There shall be on-site supervision of "gatherers" of liquids;
4) Route of ingress and egress to the facility shall be limited to Belt
Line Road east of the wellsite driveway;
Item # 4
5) Artificial light sources shall be shielded from single-family
residential neighborhoods both on the north and on the south;
6) Change of ownership of the property, change of operator of the
facilities or violations of the Special Use Permit or other
ordinances of the City shall be cause for review by the Planning
and Zoning Commission, which may call a public hearing to
consider revocation of the Special Use Permit and/or other
appropriate zoning, or cause for review by the City Council, which
may direct the Planning and Zoning Commission to call a public
hearing to revoke the Special Use Permit, and/or recommend other
appropriate zoning;
7) Prior to the start of drilling or construction, applicant shall provide
an emergency preparedness plan which complies with applicable
state and federal regulations;
8) A variance of City paving standards shall be permitted to allow
construction of a gravel access drive;
9) A fire lane shall be provided within 150 feet of all portions of
structures;
10) A fire lane shall be installed and accepted by the City prior to
drilling equipment being brought on the site;
11) A fire hydrant installed and approved by the City prior to
commencement of drilling operations shall be required;
12) Applicant shall provide the City a retention system plan prior to
commencement of drilling operations;
13) Applicant shall install fixed fire suppression monitors on the
property prior to commencement of drilling operations;
14) Applicant shall provide compatible on-site foam and equipment;
15) Applicant shall obtain Fire Department approval of fn'e
suppression systems prior to the commencement of any drilling or
construction;
16) Prior to selling gas, applicant shall screen the northeast and
northwest coruers of the 1-acre lease with a minimum of 40 five-
gallon or larger Nellie R. Stevens Holly shrubs, or equivalent, no
more than 5 feet apart and a minimum of 5 three-inch caliper or
larger live oak trees no more than 50 feet apart, providing visual
screening across a total distance of no less than 180 continuous
linear feet as shown on the wellhead screening exhibit submitted
Item # 4
by the applicant. Applicant shall maintain the plants in a healthy
and growing condition for as long as the wellhead is visible above
ground;
17) Prior to constructing a tank battery facility on any part of the 254
acre property, applicant shall implement the City's Streetscape
Plan by planting trees on the property south of and within 15 feet
of the south right-of-way line of East Belt Line Road. These trees
shall consist of a minimum of 26 three-inch caliper or larger cedar
elms and a minimum of 39 three-inch caliper or larger accent trees
selected from the plant palette shown in Table 1 of Section 34 of
the Zoning Ordinance. Applicant shall maintain the plants in a
healthy and growing condition for as long as the tank battery
facility remains in place;
18) Prior to constructing a tank battery facility on any part of the 254
acre property, applicant shall further implement the City's
Streetscape Plan by rerouting or causing to be rerouted the existing
overhead power lines at the front property line to the following
location: Beginning at the northeast comer of the property the
reronted overhead power line shall adjoin the eastern property line
to a point no less than 1000 feet from East Belt Line Road, then
shall run parallel to East Belt Line Road to the western property
line, and then shall adjoin the western property line to the
northwest comer of the property, thereby eliminating overhead
power from the property frontage; ~
19) Prior to constructing a tank battery facility on any part of the 254
acre property, applicant shall establish or cause to be established
the discontinuance or termination of all nonconforming uses on the
property under a plan whereby the owner's actual investment in
the structures prior to the time that the uses became
nonconforming can be amortized within a reasonable period of
time to be determined by the Board of Adjustment as set forth in
Section 40-8 of the Zoning Ordinance.
ALTERNATIVES: 1) Recommend approval of the request
2) Recommend disapproval of the request
3) Recommend modification of the request
4) Take under advisement for reconsideration at a later date.
ATTACHMENTS: 1) Survey Plat
2) Wellhead Screening
3) Departmental Comments
Item # 4
DEVELOPMENT REVIEW
ENGINEERING COMMENTS
ITEM: S-1155, AFE Oil and Gas Consultants, a zoning change from
(Light I~) to ~LI-SUP' (light I~ Special Use Permit)
to allow for the dr~_~g a natural gas well and placement of a tank
ha#ery on 2 acre properly, located approximately 2,150 feet west of
Ledbetter Road, and 150 feet south of Belt Line Road, at the request
of Jason Dm D~orin.
DRC DATE: August 28, 1997 and September 4, 1997
CONTACT: Mike Martin, P.E., A~sistant City Engineer (304-3679)
COMMENT STATUS: oz, vr r,~r,~,, ov /FINAL
1. A flood study must be submitted and approved prior to any development in the floodplain.
2. A variance must be granted for the proposed gravel drive instead of concrete paving.
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4. Show and label floodplain and floodway.