Highland Village council pauses vote on drone-delivery zoning after resident, council concerns

Highland Village council members on Jan. 13 delayed action on a zoning ordinance that would allow drone-delivery hubs and staging areas, citing concerns about autoloader placement near homes, noise and lighting, and whether the city should allow hub approvals administratively or require conditional use permits. The council voted to defer the item to a future meeting so staff and the city attorney can revise the text and return to an early work session.

City staff introduced an ordinance to add definitions and development standards for "drone delivery hubs" and "drone staging areas" to the city's comprehensive zoning ordinance. The proposal would allow such facilities as accessory uses to permanent food or grocery stores, restaurants, retail stores or warehouse distribution facilities in retail zoning districts. The ordinance text in the agenda required a minimum distance between drone infrastructure and residential development and set operating hours to align with FAA guidance (staff briefed the council that the draft follows FAA-allowed hours).

Representatives from Walmart and Wing presented technical details of the proposed Walmart site at 3060 Justin Road. Walmart representative Ryan Trimble said company staff and consultants had worked closely with city staff and that "we're committed to working with you and your staff to get it right." Wing's Josh Bucci described typical operations: the company's nests hold up to 18 drones, current drones weigh about 12 pounds and carry under 3 pounds, and Wing has FAA approvals for a slightly larger model able to carry up to 5 pounds. Bucci said the drones use downward‑facing cameras for navigation but "we do not store those images" and that the firm seeks to vary flight paths so single residences are not repeatedly overflown.

Council members pressed for more detail on multiple technical and siting issues. Several questioned whether the proposed autoloader — a pick‑up device intended to keep store employees out of vehicle lanes — would sit inside the draft 250‑foot minimum buffer from residential lots; staff and the applicant agreed the autoloader location shown on plan material appeared close to homes and acknowledged a 250‑foot requirement could effectively prohibit that placement. Bucci said Wing could operate without the autoloader or return later seeking a conditional use permit if the council wants greater review.

Members also asked staff to clarify how many hubs could be placed on a property, whether the ordinance should limit the number of hubs per acre or require spacing between hubs, and whether fence materials should be limited to non‑chain‑link options. Council members raised concerns about noise and visual impacts (including anti‑collision lighting required by FAA approvals for night flights), possible wildlife impacts reported elsewhere, and the city’s enforcement capacity if operations extend to dusk or night.

The council debated two broader approaches: keep a strict administrative approval pathway with tight minimum standards so compliant applicants can be approved without a CUP, or require conditional use permits to ensure council oversight for sites that raise local impacts. Several council members favored taking more time to tighten the ordinance language and to consider limiting automatically eligible uses (for example, restricting administrative approval to grocery or larger retail uses rather than all restaurants or small retailers).

After extended discussion, Mayor (name not stated) moved to defer the item to a future council meeting for staff revisions and an early work session; the motion passed on voice vote, 7–0. Staff said they will return with redrafted text addressing the council’s list of issues — including explicit definition and placement rules for autoloaders, the 250‑foot residential buffer, limits or spacing between hubs, fence material, operating-hour language tied to enforcement practicality, and options for administrative approval versus CUP review.

Next steps: staff and the city attorney will draft ordinance revisions and present them at an early work session and then bring the item back to council for first reading once the text is refined. The city also invited council members to visit comparable Wing/Walmart sites for additional perspective.

(Reporting in this article is based on council and applicant statements at the Jan. 13, 2026 Highland Village City Council meeting.)