At 1:24 last Friday morning, the College Station city council unanimously approves a zoning change that allows Amazon to have a drone delivery operation.
Amazon must still get F-A-A approval before drones can be used from a warehouse east of the freeway behind car lots and between Rock Prairie Road and Emerald Parkway.
The council learned the city can not regulate commercial drones.
Nearly three hours was spent on the issue, which included 70 minutes of comments from 14 public speakers.
The first three public speakers were representatives of the Brazos Valley economic development corporation, Texas A&M University, and the university system who supported the rezoning.
That was followed by 11 speakers from four subdivisions in the drone delivery zone. All opposed or had concerns dealing with privacy, noise, and safety.
Mayor Karl Mooney was among those giving conditional support, “with some concern and a watchful eye.”
Councilwoman Linda Harvell told Amazon representatives they are going to have to prove themselves to opponents living in the drone delivery area.
Councilwoman Elizabeth Cunha says residents in Amazon’s delivery area have the real power by not ordering if they are opposed to the service in their neighborhood.
Amazon’s director of safety and governmental affairs Sean Cassidy answered council questions at length before and after the public hearing.
Click below for a sampling of comments from the College Station city council discussion and deliberation that began on July 14 and ended the early morning of July 15, 2022: