[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6617400,"mediaKeyId","2842329-a6a605437cbd679bd047fe22c8e29143","parentId",2842329,"title","Plan commission approves special permit for Zipline operations and maintenance center in Richardson","audioSeconds",2105,"startMs",2667000,"endMs",4772000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2842329-a6a605437cbd679bd047fe22c8e29143&start=2667&end=4772","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2842329-a6a605437cbd679bd047fe22c8e29143/thumbnail_2667000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6617400/Richardson/Dallas-County/Texas/Plan-commission-approves-special-permit-for-Zipline-operations-and-maintenance-center-in-Richardson","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6617400-eaccf1bc8c4cff6ea56efafbea5b354a/orig.mp4?Expires=1771185461&Signature=PZ~hfzkLZZDcikt-s6P4NWRQ4wdSp6bwQ7FtqQvuJdTxJQhHKslR5WWLJyGSccf6Rux-ocgWggO68FTfwCkta4vh77WAP17M9-t83lxNdCDb6dSJV9ixAd6HhAonADKPv44n~bz9rsTRU-4XgGWhnRaMwnVPOC0umZjK2qW5gxukeTsKXwWQAk7tDrlqkCjoZzeotLdlx0BS-XbZAIyeIvyBovU9QLhJOulByQRzmZwwRDOXS2zfuLy5cDsqve0m8Qie9dNIsSNYLoE8N4h6yFzGHWlVSl29y7fGISLmmYlZyYGjju11VC2eEeWmvUIQfvJ~82-3iHNhWHIeIvCIgA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Richardson","date","2025-04-01T00:00:00Z","article","The Richardson City Plan Commission on Tuesday approved a special permit for a Zipline drone operations and maintenance center (DOMC) at 1155 Cass Drive and limited the use to the area shown on the submitted concept plan.

City planning staff explained that local governments are restricted to regulating ground‑based aspects of drone facilities; airspace and aircraft operations are overseen by the Federal Aviation Administration. The Collins Arapaho plan development (PD) previously was amended to allow a DOMC in the employment subdistrict by special permit, subject to standards that include locating ground‑mounted equipment to the rear or side of a building and limiting above‑roof equipment to 10 feet above the primary structure.

Zipline representatives told the commission the proposed site is a roughly 5‑acre lot with an 86,000‑square‑foot commercial building and that the company would occupy a single suite, not the entire structure. The application proposes one docking station pole—about 25 feet tall—placed in the building’s utility yard; the pole is shorter than the building, which staff said is about 35 feet tall. Zipline said the dock would have two docking positions at most and that drones (\"Zips\") would generally be transported to and from the DOMC by ground vehicles rather than flying into the site for maintenance.

Zipline operations manager Stephanie Cook told commissioners the company’s platform is fully autonomous and that docking tests at the DOMC would be limited to very short undocking/ redocking checks “one to two seconds” above the dock and would not routinely involve flights above the building. \"Most of the maintenance is going to be happening inside of the hub,\" Cook said.

Staff noted the proposed DOMC location is about 1,700 feet from the nearest residential neighborhood, exceeding the PD’s 300‑foot minimum separation. The applicant included noise estimates for the docking/approach sequence of about 53–64 decibels, which staff compared to a quiet office or an indoor conversation. No public comments were listed in staff’s packet before the hearing.

During public comment, a local drone operator (Ken Herman of Skyeyes) and an FAA safety representative spoke in favor of the project, citing redundancy and safety measures in autonomous delivery systems and describing personal experience with fast medical deliveries in other jurisdictions. One member of the public who lives immediately behind the townhome site earlier in the meeting (Scott Bradshaw) had raised separate concerns about a different agenda item; no speakers opposed the DOMC at this hearing.

Commissioners asked whether future operational changes—such as flying Zips into and out of the DOMC instead of transporting them by truck—would require another permit. Planning staff noted that the special permit as drafted would limit the DOMC to Zipline and to the area shown on the concept plan; any expansion of use or changes to the approved area would require an amendment to the special permit. Commissioners also received technical answers from Zipline staff and a company customer‑support lead on communications, redundancy, and FAA oversight.

A motion to approve the special permit for the DOMC passed unanimously; the permit was approved with the limitations and conditions noted in the staff recommendation.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Richardson - City Planning Commission Meetings - Apr 01, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Richardson City Plan Commission unanimously approved a special permit allowing Zipline to operate a drone operations and maintenance center (DOMC) at 1155 Cass Drive, limited to ground‑based maintenance and a single docking station area described in the concept plan.","taxTitle","Richardson, Dallas County, Texas","taxId",2786,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6617405,"Plan commission recommends rezoning for 89-unit Richardson townhome development on Shiloh Road",2324,171000,2495000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2842329-a6a605437cbd679bd047fe22c8e29143&start=171&end=2495","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2842329-a6a605437cbd679bd047fe22c8e29143/thumbnail_171000.jpg","/articles/6617405/Richardson/Dallas-County/Texas/Plan-commission-recommends-rezoning-for-89-unit-Richardson-townhome-development-on-Shiloh-Road","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6617405-8a4fb64f2e6edaeecd3248a178d37822/orig.mp4?Expires=1771185461&Signature=JpIxba5ENbDgO8QMThspVVW6IqdlEiCJ994Rc5ucbIlO5gWC9-S2QDLy0kf-plnJYzGJuLq465HEvHwodySJGxuqYyUZb~eHM3dxEkG~TgQf705ccgWzoCPz4a1WSJiKMi-w~WH56AY8r4lvGC4NZ1sHrz~8bG7YGb7dvw3VxOHRUUlm8I~Nrv7QkUYVNS6wkNrSpemGn8Lv-5wQRNSs~aHGoWmUDGWNjkdzylhOHbDKSY7ADSuM9iKNLYjAMifONFa24~L-wHMaH2S3ZSA12a9c6dvym7xQBXzKOBdLeTPaHsutVF3lbISVt6GYbtHBrHuHTLElgWU9QzRCm6qb8w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Richardson City Plan Commission on Tuesday recommended approval of a plan development to rezone about 7 acres at 3600 Shiloh Road for 89 townhome units.

City planning staff said the site is currently zoned OM office with special conditions for an assisted-living center and has remained undeveloped since a 2017 special permit for a private school was never implemented. The applicant, Pulte Homes, asked to rezone the property to a plan development to allow attached single-family units and to deviate from several standard townhome requirements.

The project calls for 89 units on roughly 7 acres, with minimum lots of 1,300 square feet and minimum unit sizes of 1,700 square feet. The developer proposes three-story buildings up to 45 feet tall for some units where the base ordinance would limit townhomes to two stories and 40 feet within 50 feet of single-family neighborhoods. Staff said about 15 units fall inside the northern buffer and would require the height relief. The development plan shows each unit with an enclosed two‑car garage and 67 visitor parking spaces distributed across the site; staff said that equates to about 0.7 visitor spaces per unit in addition to garage parking.

The concept plan includes a 60-foot Shiloh Road setback composed of an existing 30-foot drainage easement and a 30-foot landscape buffer that will include an 8-foot sidewalk and street trees. The interior of the site would provide 27 percent open space, a 5,000-square-foot central gathering area with seating and lighting, and a 2,000-square-foot dog park in the northeast corner. The applicant also proposed new 6-foot masonry screening walls along the east and south property lines and will retain an existing 7-foot-9-inch screening wall along the north.

Pulte Homes representative Mike Goza described the builder's local experience and market approach and said the firm will work with Collin County to see if a small landlocked parcel in the northeast corner can be incorporated into the project as open green space. \"We are committed to running that tract and see what the county's appetite is for it,\" Goza said. He told commissioners the company anticipates building units over time—estimating an absorption rate of about five to eight sales per month rather than delivering all units simultaneously.

Several commissioners and staff questioned parking distribution and walking distance from visitor spaces to some units. The project team said they would review the layout to try to better distribute parking before the application goes to city council; the applicant said planners removed two units earlier in the design process to increase open space and some parking. Scott Bradshaw, president of the Deerwood Court homeowners association immediately north of the site, said he was generally supportive but urged the developer to maintain the screening wall and avoid creating maintenance burdens for his HOA.

Planning staff said the application complies with the city's required public notice procedures and reported three written public comments in opposition tied to two neighboring properties. Staff recommended conditions that any approval be developed in substantial conformance with the submitted concept plan, development standards, and representative elevations.

Commissioner Beach moved to recommend approval with those conditions; Commissioner Quirk seconded. The plan commission voted unanimously to recommend approval to city council.

If the council follows the commission recommendation, the project will proceed to final engineering and subdivision review, during which drainage, utility capacity and other civil details will be examined and permitted according to city standards. Staff told commissioners civil engineering review would occur after zoning approval to address drainage and water-quality measures and confirm capacity.","The Richardson City Plan Commission on April 1 recommended approval of a plan development to allow 89 townhome units at 3600 Shiloh Road, approving deviations for lot size, coverage, and height with conditions to follow the concept plan and elevations.","actionData","errors"]

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Plan commission approves special permit for Zipline operations and maintenance center in Richardson

Plan commission recommends rezoning for 89-unit Richardson townhome development on Shiloh Road