Wing and Walmart will start drone delivery in the Denver and Seattle metro areas in 2027, the companies said on 5 October. That would bring the service to nearly 20 US metros.
Some Denver suburbs had started preparing months earlier. By early August the city of Northglenn had surveyed its neighbours on drone delivery. Longmont reported pre-applications for drone hubs at two Walmart stores, which it could not process because its code does not allow the use. Arvada, Commerce City and Thornton had one pre-application each.
Rules for the ground, not the air
Northglenn then drafted what its staff believe is the region’s first complete rule. Its planning commission recommended it on 15 September. A hub would need a special use permit and could sit only in commercial or industrial zones.
It would have to be at least 200 feet from homes, schools, childcare centres, and police, fire and utility sites. Ground operations would run from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., with noise capped at 65 decibels at the property line.
The city can go no further. Its planning director, Becky Smith, told the council the city has “no legal authority to regulate where drones fly”. The FAA controls the airspace, so a town’s only lever is the pad itself. In August, Thornton was drafting a similar rule that calls the hub a “Launchpad”.
What Wing is promising
Wing says more than three million customers can already order by drone, in metros including Dallas-Fort Worth, Atlanta, Houston and Orlando. The partners have said they aim to reach more than 270 Walmart stores and 40 million people by 2027. Wing’s aircraft carry up to five pounds at up to 60 mph.
Heather Rivera, Wing’s chief business officer, pointed to “diverse communities and climates”, meaning Seattle’s rain and Denver’s winters. The only local official quoted in the announcement was Jim Ferrell, mayor of Federal Way, south of Seattle.
Northglenn’s council is due to hold the ordinance’s first reading on 12 October, with a public hearing and final vote on 26 October.
