Wondering?

....

Look into what it would cost to put a water well in and a septic tank.  If there is public water & sewage available then find out the cost to hook up a specific location on the land.  Electric gets pretty expensive to run poles and wire these days also.

Possibly. Texas does not have a state-wide setback and instead setbacks are established at the community level.

The community of Flower Mound, Texas has a setback of 1,500 feet and several other Texas communities (Dish,Denton, Colleyville, Southlake, and Weatherford) have 1,000 feet setbacks.

Northlake has setback regulations for wells no closer than 600’, but also restrict new development to be 600’ away from nearest buildable plot.

City of Coppell: Permitted in areas zoned Light Industrial and Agriculture. Oil and gas wells are prohibited within one thousand (1,000) feet from any habitable structure (residential or non-residential). Council may reduce this distance to allow a well within three hundred (300) feet of any non-residential building and five hundred (500) feet of any residence, religious institution, public building, school and/or public park after a notified public hearing of all property owners within one thousand (1,000) feet of the perimeter of the padsite. Permits are required prior to any drilling activity within the city.

I've never run into the issue of how close you can build to an existing well-head. I'd call the Railroad Commission and ask them. It may take a variance from the county zoning people too. 

If you don't mind the constant noise

http://www.timescall.com/carbon-valley-news/ci_30959619/firestone-explosion-started-by-gas-from-cut-flow

Christmas trees make little if any noise. They aren't the same thing as a pump jack and even pump jacks don't make any noise if they have an electric motor and the pumper keeps the bearings greased. 

Christmas tree:


Pump Jack:

Hey, OP, it occurs to me that any reworking of the wells those Christmas Trees are sitting on would require ~2+ acres.

They're usually set in the middle of a gravel pad anyway, so you couldn't build on that pad-site. 

If you own the minerals (royalty) you won't mind the noise

Subdivision.

Can the Christmas Trees be relocated?

Can you relocate Christmas Trees on the property?

Basically, no

The service trucks coming and going can be a little annoying.  And if it's a well pad that's being developed and fracked for up to 32 wells like they're doing around here that can get damn loud at times.

As far as owning mineral rights goes, we know people who take vacations when there's noisy activity like drilling and fracking going on at the well pad on their property.

Nice long vacations to tropical places that aren't cheap.  Must be nice to have that kind of money flowing in from the gas flowing out of the well on your property.  Ours pays the income taxes on itself.

Workover rigs.  I'm out

Nope. It's at the surface and connected to the well casing. 

The bigger question, is would people want to live next to one?
I presume you can't plant bushes around them.

ETA: xmas tree density would be important too.  We talking 1 every acre, or 15 on a section?
Also, tentative road/lot layouts.

Most companies will still negotiate with the surface owner for a 'Surface Use Agreement' as it's cheaper than fighting a bunch of court cases over damages.

Additionally, in some areas there are local mandates that the pad be surrounded with a block wall painted to match the surroundings or a chainlink fence with slats, shrubs planted surrounding the fence, and grass planted along the entryway to the gate.