Castle Rock is tapping the brakes on high-tech package drops before the drones ever get off the ground.
The Town Council on Tuesday told staff to draw up a temporary moratorium on drone retail delivery while officials scramble to plug holes in the zoning code triggered by a big-box pre-application. The request from the local Walmart would team the store with an autonomous drone operator to drop small packages for customers in the area around the site. Councilmembers said current development rules do not spell out how to handle retail drone operations, leaving the town unsure how to manage flights and neighborhood impacts.
As reported by the Denver Gazette, the pre-application came from Walmart for its Supercenter at 133 Sam Walton Lane and would rely on Wing-operated drones to serve roughly a five to six-mile radius. A staff memorandum noted that the Federal Aviation Administration has primary authority over flight operations, which means Castle Rock’s power sits mostly on the ground: land use elements such as launch and landing areas, site design, screening, lighting, and setbacks. Council directed staff to come back in the months ahead with a proposed ordinance that both establishes a moratorium and lays out a framework for future regulation…