Walmart partner Wing outlines plan for drone deliveries at Woodstock Highway 92 store

Wing representatives and city staff briefed Woodstock’s City Council on Aug. 18 about a proposed residential drone‑delivery operation at Walmart’s store at 12182 Highway 92.

Wing’s Kathryn Lovett, the company’s local policy and community affairs manager, said the system centers on a fenced “nest” with roughly 18 charging pads, an autonomous autoloader at the curbside pickup area and battery‑powered generators. “We use an 18‑pad nest to support order volume,” she said, and the aircraft used in the U.S. fleet weigh about 11 pounds and carry up to 2.5 pounds of goods. Lovett added that operations in Texas routinely complete many orders in 15 minutes and that all imagery captured by the drones is low‑resolution, processed onboard and not streamed in real time.

Tariq Rashid, Wing’s director of Part 135 operations, described safety redundancies and routing limits: he said the company is federally regulated under FAA Part 135, the aircraft use optical sensors for depth perception and hazard avoidance, and although Wing advertises a 6‑mile maximum range from a store, “in practice it’s really 4‑mile radius around each of those stores” because of local airspace constraints. Rashid also said the drones operate below 400 feet in compliance with FAA thresholds and that typical cruising altitudes for their operations start near 160 feet and rarely exceed about 320 feet.

Council members pressed on local impacts and permitting. Planning staff noted existing zoning conditions for the Walmart site (including historical limits on “storage trailers”) and said a Conex storage box as proposed would likely trigger a site‑plan modification unless the applicant can show an alternate kiosk‑style storage that meets zoning language. Planning staff also described municipal options other cities have used, such as buffering nests from residences and screening requirements.

Council members signaled support for the concept but asked staff to return with guidance on permitting and any required site‑plan changes. One council member said the city should focus community outreach if the project proceeds; Lovett said Wing already conducts neighborhood events in other cities and would work with Woodstock staff. No permits were issued at the meeting; staff will follow up with the applicant and report back to council.

What’s next: Planning staff will review the proposed nest and kiosk specifications against local zoning conditions and report back on whether a site‑plan change, variance or other permits are required. Wing requested guidance on the permitting timeline and said construction of a site could begin within about two weeks after permits are issued.