The Denton City Council early Wednesday tabled a company’s request to drill up to five gas wells across the street from a city park and residential neighborhood, after neighbors said the plan threatened public safety.
Council members said they wanted more information from Fort Worth-based Range Production Co. about its request to drill gas wells on 3 acres that are undeveloped inside the planned Rayzor Ranch development. The proposed well site is just north of Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Denton and across Bonnie Brae Street from McKenna Park and single-family homes, sparking concern among many neighbors over noise, traffic, environmental damage and potential explosions.
Council member Joe Mulroy asked company representatives to come back with documents proving their claim that no other sites are feasible for drilling inside the planned 410-acre Rayzor Ranch mixed-use development at U.S. Highway 380 and Interstate 35. The council could take up the issue again as early as Aug. 4.
Developers of the Rayzor Ranch project distanced themselves from the drilling request, saying the property’s previous owner, Rayzor Investments, retained mineral rights when it sold the land for the development. Any royalties from drilling would go to Rayzor Investments, said Mary Curliss Patton, regulatory manager for Range Resources, the parent company of Range Production.
Also early Wednesday, the council approved several changes to approved plans for Rayzor Ranch. They included more detailed criteria for signs; revised landscaping requirements, in part to reflect changes in road and utility construction; and new architectural standards for some proposed retail stores.
The votes came near the end of a nearly 10-hour meeting that started Tuesday afternoon and ended after 1 a.m. Wednesday. The busy agenda followed a monthlong council recess.