Plan commission divided over adding "drone operations and maintenance center" to innovation‑district zoning

The Richardson City Plan Commission spent the final portion of its Jan. 7 meeting debating a proposed amendment to the Collins‑Arapahoe TOD and Innovation District zoning (zoning file 24‑33) that would add a defined “drone operations and maintenance center” use to the employment subdistrict.

Staff presented the proposal as a narrowly scoped land‑use category intended to allow a facility used for storage, staging, maintenance and other ground‑based support for commercial unmanned aircraft systems. Staff described three supplemental conditions proposed with the use: 1) a minimum 300‑foot separation between a drone operations and maintenance center and any single‑family residentially zoned property; 2) that maintenance and repair activities must occur inside a building (not in the open); and 3) that any equipment or apertures associated with the center may not extend more than 10 feet above the primary structure where the center is located. Staff said the 300‑foot buffer reflected an approach used in several other Texas jurisdictions and that once a drone is airborne, federal rules (FAA) govern the flight operation.

Staff also noted the state has adopted privacy and related legislation affecting drone operations, and explained that the federal government regulates in‑air operations — for example, some carriers operate under Part 135 approvals — so local land‑use controls are limited to ground‑side facilities and infrastructure.

Public comment split the room. Lehi Ma, representing a data‑center campus tenant, told the commission data centers are critical infrastructure and warned about security, privacy and operational risks if drone facilities are located near data campus operations. Ma requested protection of existing investments and said data‑center operators chose locations specifically to avoid…