The gist
Lewisville City Council members approved two alternative standards for the property's drone launch area during a March 3 meeting. They were the same standards approved by council members a year ago and grants the permission for Wing’s drone launch area on the property.
The alternative standards expire annually so drone company Wing was required to apply for approval again. The drone launch area is located inside a fenced-off area in the Walmart parking lot.
The background
Wing launched a 12-month pilot program in fall 2023 in partnership with the Walmart location in Lewisville. The program aims to deliver groceries, household items and over-the-counter medication within 30 minutes to locations within a 6-mile range.
A staff memo attached to the March 3 agenda states that Wing and Walmart intend to make the drone program more permanent.
Currently, Lewisville’s ordinances require alternative use standards to be approved for drone launch areas because they’re not in accordance with its development code. Officials are at work updating the city’s development code but those updates are expected to be considered at a future meeting.
