WestboroughWednesday, November 4
Amazon's Westborough drone plan is on pause, and the company says it will be back
The Daily Worcester team
If you live in parts of Worcester or Shrewsbury, you were inside Amazon's proposed drone delivery zone, and the plan is on hold for now. Amazon withdrew its proposal, and Westborough's building commissioner then vacated his zoning determination, so the Zoning Board of Appeals had nothing to rule on Monday. The board kept the appeal open and will revisit it in early December.
Amazon's proposal and the pushback, by the numbers
- 1,000
- drone deliveries a day, at most, from Otis Street
- 7.5 miles
- delivery radius, reaching parts of Worcester and Shrewsbury
- 510-13
- Town Meeting vote on drone rules, Oct. 19
- Withdrawn "without prejudice," so Amazon can file again
- Amazon says a "revised project" will come "soon"
- Next step: Zoning Board of Appeals, early December
State Sen. Michael Moore and Reps. Hannah Kane and Kate Donaghue announced the withdrawal and said they were "extremely pleased." In Westborough, residents had rallied: Town Meeting passed a drone-rules article 510-13.
“It's a nice battle won, but this is Amazon we're talking about.”
The drone plan went from proposal to pause in under three months
- Aug. 18Prime Air tells the Select Board it plans nearly 1,000 drone deliveries a day.
- Sept. 25A formal zoning appeal is filed.
- Oct. 19Town Meeting passes the drone-rules article, 510-13.
- Nov. 2The Zoning Board of Appeals keeps the appeal open.
- Early Dec.The board will revisit the appeal.
Sources: The Boston Globe, Community Advocate