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Thornton hears drone-delivery briefing; council moves drone regulation to executive session
Summary
Economic development staff described private companies' drone-delivery plans — launch pads in parking lots, 6–7.5 mile range, up to 5-pound packages, daylight-only operation and about 68 dB at delivery — and council voted to take legal advice in executive session on possible local regulations and land-use changes.
City economic-development staff on Monday briefed Thornton City Council on preliminary inquiries from private companies about commercial drone-delivery operations and then asked the council whether it wanted legal advice on regulation in executive session.
"Adam Krueger, economic development director," introduced the briefing and described how typical drone operations would work: launch pads sited in existing parking lots, roughly 30 parking spaces used for a launch location, 12–18 drones per site, single-package deliveries up to 5 pounds, one delivery per flight and daylight-only operations. Krueger said drones operate roughly in a 6–7.5 mile radius from a launch pad, climb to minimum altitudes around 150 ft and up to about 400 ft, and travel at roughly 60–70 mph.
Krueger said the Federal Aviation Administration governs in-air operations, but the city can regulate launch sites and land-use permissions for pads and related infrastructure. He listed operational details gathered from companies: drones about 4.5 by 5.5 feet, delivery noise comparable to a dishwasher or conversation in a busy room (about 68 dB at the point of delivery), and delivery methods that either lower packages on tethers or lower-and-release from about 12 feet. Companies told staff that roughly half of their products fall at or below the 5-pound threshold.
Council members asked staff about safety, weather restrictions, airspace coordination with the FAA, likely land-use permit needs and potential city liability. Staff said they did not foresee additional city liability and recommended a follow-up legal briefing. The council then approved a motion to meet in executive session for legal advice on regulation of commercial drone-delivery operations under Colorado Revised Statutes §24-6-402(4). A second executive session was approved immediately afterward to receive legal advice about procedural and evidentiary matters connected to an upcoming quasi-judicial public hearing on the Dodge Ranch development.
Staff said they will return with options for how local land-use code and permitting could be amended to accommodate or regulate launch pads and related infrastructure, and that they would engage any interested companies for more specific operational detail if council instructs them to proceed.
