Amazon drone delivery in the Treasure Valley one step closer to takeoff

Nampa’s Planning and Zoning Commission voted, 6-1, Tuesday night to approve Amazon’s land use application for a drone delivery hub, checking a major box for the company’s plan to launch airborne package deliveries across much of the western Treasure Valley this year. The affirmative vote from Planning and Zoning means the project can move forward without a vote from Nampa City Council.

The approval allows Amazon to move forward with plans for a Prime Air Drone Delivery Center at the company’s fulfillment centers on East Franklin Road. The project still requires approval from the Federal Aviation Administration before flights can begin.

Amazon representatives pitched the program as a faster delivery option for lightweight household items, medications and other small purchases. The new 21,000-square-foot launch facility will include space for launch pads, battery charging stations, drone storage facilities, flight monitoring systems and an operations building.

“Our next goal is to bring this new innovation to Nampa, Idaho,” Sam Bailey, Amazon’s senior manager for economic development policy, told commissioners.

Amazon drone delivery operates in different markets across five U.S. states, with seven more areas of service under development, Bailey told the commission.

While Tuesday’s public hearing was covering the conditional land use permit to build the hub, the big question is about the drones, themselves.

Amazon’s MK30 drones weigh 83 pounds. The drone looks like a miniature blimp surrounded by a ring of propellers. It takes off vertically and can travel up to 70 mph. In 2024, the FAA cleared the MK30 to carry packages weighing up to 5 pounds to homes within about a 7.5-mile radius. For the new launchpad in Nampa, this means it could reach customers in Nampa, Meridian, Middleton, Star and small parts of Kuna and Boise. The drones would operate during daytime hours beginning 30 minutes before sunrise and ending 30 minutes after sunset.

Bailey said customers could receive deliveries from Prime Air drones “within an hour or less.”

While some residents and city officials welcomed the possibilities of speedy air-to-land Amazon deliveries, several attendees raised concerns about noise, privacy, safety and the growing presence of drones in residential neighborhoods.

Planning staff pointed out “pretty lengthy correspondence” from the Nampa Airport Commission, which recommended the commission not approve the project until issues regarding airspace coordination, safety and operational procedures, ground risk and land use and liability and insurance were adequately addressed.

Bailey said Amazon has already responded to the airport’s comments via a written document and were meeting with the airport team in person on Thursday to discuss specifics.

Nampa resident Wendy Dainy testified that the proposal “diminishes Nampa’s quality of life” and noted that drones emit “high-frequency sounds” that are “bothersome to humans” and animals. She further argued that drone noise “can alter the wildlife behavior, trigger physical stress and lead to habitat displacement.”

“We really have to take into consideration who owns our God-given skies,” one resident told commissioners during public testimony. The resident added that traditional Amazon deliveries already arrive quickly and questioned whether drone deliveries are necessary.

The city airport commission added a condition to the permit requiring Amazon to have a dedicated local emergency response line and the contact for a representative to handle non-emergency situations that might arise once service begins.

Others questioned whether the drones could affect internet connectivity or collect video footage from private property.

Amazon representatives said the drones use onboard “detect-and-avoid” technology designed to recognize people, pets and obstacles during flight. The company also said the drones are not intended for surveillance and that video collected during deliveries is deleted after flights are completed.

There are still several major regulatory hurdles before the first delivery drone takes off in Nampa. Now that the conditional use permit to build the Prime Air Drone Delivery Center is approved, Amazon will need the FAA and the local airport commission to sign off on its operational procedures.

“We are meeting in person with the airport to discuss specific regulatory and airspace feedback and concerns they have as well as our coordination with the FAA,” Bailey said.

Amazon said the project could create about 30 jobs in Nampa, including drone operators and maintenance technicians. The company has said it hopes to begin operations before the end of the year if federal approvals are secured.