If that holds true in the company's official submittal, the oil pads would take separate tracks to final approval. Although both applications would involve a city review and a neighborhood meeting, the eastern pad would take the Track 2 process, with Director of Development Services Brett Limbaugh having final decision-making authority over the approval of the project. Once Limbaugh makes his decision, it could only be challenged in court.
Bliss will oversee the process but won’t provide input on the specifics of the proposal or its approval. “My involvement with any type of oil and gas development application would simply be to serve as a project manager from the city side of things and provide appropriate zoning and land use provisions,” he says.
City staff reviews transportation, emergency services, utility services and stormwater management. Loveland can hire outside counsel that specializes in oil and gas to review air quality monitoring, subsurface conditions and soil monitoring. “Even though we don’t have those people here on staff, we do bring them in if we think it’s necessary,” Bliss notes.; the official submittals will be posted there as well.