Highland Village planning commission recommends allowing drone hubs at Walmart site with conditions

Highland Village’s Planning & Zoning Commission voted to recommend a zoning text amendment Wednesday that would add "drone delivery hubs" and "drone staging areas" to the comprehensive zoning ordinance and permit an applicant, Wing on behalf of Walmart, to locate operations at 3060 Justin Road pending final site review.

Autumn Amen, community development coordinator, told commissioners the draft ordinance would allow administrative approval if an application met written development standards and require a conditional use permit for any variance. "If an application does not meet the standards ... then they have to submit for conditional use permit," Amen said during her briefing.

Representatives for Walmart and Wing described the proposed site and operations during the public hearing. Erin Ragsdale, speaking for Walmart, introduced the company’s local digital coach and called the program "exciting" for North Texas. Josh Bucci of Wing said the company operates under FAA oversight and Part 135 air-carrier rules, described the vehicle as roughly 11.7 pounds with a current payload limit of about 2.5 pounds and a one-way range near 6 miles, and said most sites complete launch validation in about two weeks after approval. "We are regulated under Part 135 air carrier certification," Bucci said.

Staff and the applicant outlined the ordinance’s key standards: hubs and staging areas would be accessory to primary uses such as grocery stores or warehouses; staging areas would generally be set back at least 250 feet from residential property; staging areas would typically be capped at 5,000 square feet unless located within the primary building; accessory buildings may not be storage containers and must be enclosed by specified fencing; permanent electrical power is required and generators are not permitted; and signage is limited to operational contact information or what state/federal law requires. Amen said the proposed Walmart staging area is about 3,900 square feet.

Commissioners pressed staff and Wing on several operational and public-safety topics. Questions included whether the drone video feed is recorded (Bucci: "Not recorded or saved"), how Wing handles a lost-GPS event (Bucci: drones are programmed to "return to the nest" and the company would dispatch retrieval teams for downed aircraft), measures to avoid conflicts with helicopters (Bucci: aircraft-detection systems and automatic/operational stand-downs), noise comparisons (Bucci characterized the nest operation as quieter than a gas lawnmower at 100 feet and said generators are often the loudest on-site source), and whether the drone service would be limited to Highland Village addresses (Bucci: it will serve customers within the device’s range, about six miles, so deliveries may cross municipal lines).

The ordinance also sets a baseline operating-hour window of 7:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Central; staff cautioned the commission that once a drone is airborne, regulation falls to the FAA. "Once the drones are airborne, the city has no authority to regulate them. That falls under solely the FAA," Amen said. Commissioners debated whether to adopt a fixed local hour window or align the ordinance language to allow operators to follow evolving FAA approvals.

After discussion, Commissioner (Speaker 8) moved to recommend approval on the condition that city attorney and staff combine and clarify the hub/staging definitions, define "operating hours" in the ordinance text, and align allowable flight times with FAA guidance or provide a clear mechanism for operators to seek expanded hours via a CUP. Commissioner (Speaker 2) seconded; the commission voted in favor and the motion passed. Chair (Speaker 3) announced the motion carried with those conditions.

What happens next: staff and the city attorney will prepare revised ordinance language reflecting the commission’s conditional recommendations (definitions and operating-hour clarifications and consideration of decibel/FAA alignment) and return it for city council consideration. The commission’s next regular meeting was noted for Jan. 20, when additional PD amendments will be discussed.

The record of the hearing shows no public speakers during the public-comment portion; the action taken by the commission was a recommendation to the city council rather than a final zoning change.

Votes: motion to recommend approval with conditions — mover: Speaker 8 (moved); second: Speaker 2 (seconded); outcome: approved (voice vote).