Richardson Asks Amazon to Adjust Prime Air Drone Routes After Noise Complaints

Richardson City Council members confronted Amazon officials at a March 9 briefing over the company's Prime Air drone delivery program, demanding a formal noise survey, stronger privacy protections for affected residents, and concrete improvements after months of complaints about low-flying drones rattling neighborhoods near the fulfillment center at 3051 Research Dr.

The program launched in Richardson in December, with drones operating within a 7.5-mile radius of the Research Drive facility. Residents began raising concerns almost immediately, and by January city leaders, council members, and city staff had formally relayed that feedback to Amazon. The company told the council it had implemented enhancements in response, though the specific changes were not detailed publicly, and said it plans to work directly with neighborhoods for additional input on future improvements.

At the March 9 briefing, Amazon's Sam Bailey told the council that flight paths are constrained in part by a Federal Aviation Administration-mandated no-fly zone around a local hospital, limiting the company's ability to simply reroute drones away from residential areas. On the noise issue, Bailey acknowledged it was a problem the company is "constantly looking at evolving," but warned that switching to a quieter drone model was unlikely in the near term because of the extensive regulatory approval processes involved.

Council member Dan Barrios said he encountered the drones firsthand while greeting voters at the polls in early March. He described the noise as loud enough to force a pause in conversation and said he "can't imagine hearing that day after day," as some residents in the delivery zone now do.

The frustration among city officials extended well beyond noise. City Manager Don Magner said he "has not heard anything from Amazon" beyond a willingness to "refine, refine, refine" the program. Mayor Amir Omar struck a more diplomatic tone, suggesting that a few small acts of goodwill from Amazon would go a long way toward repairing the city's relationship with the company.

The council's leverage was made explicit at the close of the March 9 session: officials warned that if meaningful improvements do not materialize, Richardson's experience would stand as a cautionary example for other cities weighing agreements to host Amazon drone fulfillment centers. Some members said they were openly reconsidering the partnership.

Adding urgency to those concerns is a February 6 drone crash in which an Amazon Prime Air drone apparently struck a building in Richardson. The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the incident. In a statement to CBS News following the crash, Amazon said the company apologized for any inconvenience and was actively working to address the situation, though the full statement was not publicly available.

Richardson Today reported that Amazon plans to conduct neighborhood outreach sessions to walk residents through the changes already made and to gather feedback for further adjustments. Whether that outreach satisfies city officials demanding formal noise measurements and documented privacy safeguards remains to be seen.