The district runs from Arapaho Road north to Campbell Road, near the Dallas Area Rapid Transit Arapaho Station; however the ordinance would only cover one sub-district within the district.
City Manager Don Magner said there was no specific case council was considering, but because drone operations aren’t currently listed as a use in the code, they are prohibited.
“The proposal is fairly straightforward,” Magner said. “Do you want to add the use of a drone operations and maintenance center to the Collins/Arapaho code so that if someone wanted to come in the future with a special use request ... they would have the ability to have that considered.”
The overview
City Planner Amber Pollan said the city has received several inquiries about drone operations.
Additionally, several North Texas cities, including McKinney, are reviewing ordinance updates to allow drone delivery from companies such as Walmart and Amazon.
The use of drones for deliveries has grown both nationally and in North Texas, Pollan said, but the update ordinance only covers operations and maintenance. Drone delivery would be considered under a different use depending on the location, Pollan said.
The details
The proposed update would require a minimum 300-foot setback from single-family and multifamily residential zoning, restrict maintenance activities to within a building, and limit equipment and structures not to extend more than 10 feet above where a drone operations and maintenance center is located, according to city documents.
Additionally, the new ordinance only allows the use of drone delivery centers by special permit, meaning applicants would have to seek approval from City Council to build a drone center.
Also on the agenda
Council also discussed setting a comprehensive fee ordinance and fee schedule. Budget Officer Bob Clymire said the city currently charges over 1,000 fees and other charges set by about 40 ordinances and resolutions.
Claymire said several city departments have worked with the city secretary and city attorney to begin consolidating all appropriate fees into one ordinance.
“This will allow all the fees to be in one place and allows us to revise this in a single process,” Clymire said.
Additionally, the comprehensive fee ordinance will not include any new fees or changes, Clymire said, adding that the city attorney will draft the ordinance for council approval at a later date.
