In a nutshell
The McKinney Planning and Zoning Commission voted 7-0 to recommend approving the zoning change during a March 25 meeting. McKinney City Council members are expected to take action on the request at an April 15 meeting.
Council members had previously voted 3-2 on the zoning request at a March 5 meeting. Despite earning a majority approval from council members present at the meeting, approval of the request would have required four affirmative votes, representing a majority of the seven-person council.
“Ultimately, the vote failed there,” said City Planner Jake Bennett. “It was not denied or approved due to a lack of quorum at the vote.”
A new request was submitted for the same zoning which features no changes to the previous request, according to the agenda item.
If approved by council, the property would be rezoned to allow a fenced-off pad with nine drone charging stations and two loading docks. The pad and loading areas would be located on the east side of the Walmart store, away from the main parking lot.
The context
Drone delivery services would be provided by California-based Zipline. The company is partnering with Walmart to launch drone delivery services at stores across the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex.
More than 20 drone launch sites are currently under development across the metroplex and 10 locations have already received the proper permitting for operations, according to a presentation from Zipline officials.
Drones are already operating from a Walmart store in Mesquite. Other locations under construction include stores in Greenville and Waxahatchee, said Stephanie Cook, a representative from Zipline.
The Mesquite location has experienced a lot of demand “which is really exciting,” Cook said. Ahead of launching, Zipline officials have generated community engagement opportunities for people to learn more about the process, she said.
“We’ve been working very closely with the police and fire departments,” She said. “Those are kind of the two main groups we want to engage with ahead of launching.”
Zipline officials have had initial talks with McKinney’s police and fire departments and expect to have more follow-ups in the future, Cook said.
How it works
Zipline drones are fully autonomous. They can carry up to eight pounds and deliver within a 10-mile radius at speeds of up to 70 mph.
Cook said the drones would probably start delivering within a two-mile radius at launch. Operations will be expanded as officials work with the Federal Aviation Administration and build a customer base, she said.
The delivery system would consist of the drone and a delivery droid, which lowers a customer’s order on a tether. The drone has a three-foot delivery radius, and customers can choose where their deliveries would land.
