Overview
- Amazon asked the Town of Westborough on Friday to withdraw its site-plan application without prejudice for a Prime Air launch site at the Otis Street fulfillment center.
- The proposal would have used a parking area to launch roughly 5-by-5-foot drones to deliver packages under 5 pounds within about a 7.5-mile radius.
- Westborough voters recently approved a restrictive bylaw that sets a 150-foot buffer for ground operations and adds noise, privacy, and nuisance rules that targeted the planned staging area.
- Massachusetts Aeronautics Division officials told Amazon it must obtain a Chapter 90 certificate before establishing any takeoff or landing area in the state, creating a separate state-level approval hurdle.
- Amazon said it plans to resubmit a revised proposal after further discussions with local stakeholders while advocacy groups and lawmakers warn the pause does not end future efforts.