Westborough Withdraws Zoning Ruling on Amazon Drone Delivery Pad

The building commissioner of Westborough, Massachusetts, William Hezlitt, on Monday, November 2, withdrew the August 26 zoning ruling that classified Amazon's Prime Air drone delivery pad at its 64 Otis Street warehouse as an accessory use. Any revised Amazon proposal will now need a fresh zoning review. The matter is significant because Westborough would have been the first drone delivery facility in New England, according to The Boston Globe.

What happened

Hezlitt's letter says the August ruling is withdrawn in its entirety, because Amazon's own withdrawal left it with no active application to cover. Amazon had asked on October 30 to withdraw its site-plan application without prejudice. The letter became public at Monday night's Zoning Board of Appeals meeting, which more than 100 people attended for the hearing on residents' appeal of that ruling. The board continued the appeal without hearing its merits, and the letter states it makes no determination about future submissions.

Benjamin Tymann, the residents' lawyer, asked the board to wait for the Planning Board's November 10 vote on Amazon's withdrawal request. According to The Boston Globe, the appeal stays open and will be taken up again in early December. Board chair Justin Lundberg said the two withdrawals basically rendered the appeal null.

What comes next

Amazon spokesperson Lindsay Hamilton said the company will file a revised project soon, after further discussions with local stakeholders, but did not describe it. The MK30 drone Amazon proposed for the site weighs 83 pounds, carries packages under five pounds and has no parachute.

On October 19, Westborough voters backed a ban on commercial drone launch pads and drop zones by 510 votes to 13. The bylaw went to the state attorney general on October 22 and also needs approval from MassDOT's Aeronautics Division. MassDOT told Amazon that the pad requires a state certificate of approval, with at least one public hearing first. State Sen. Michael Moore said he and other legislators plan to file legislation to help communities address concerns of this kind.