Portland Council Votes 11-0 to Open Drone Facility Moratorium Process; Amazon Cancels City Meeting
Portland is a city in Multnomah County, Oregon. The Portland City Council voted 11-0 on October 14 to begin the state process that could lead to a moratorium on facilities supporting commercial delivery drones. Resolution 37754 directs the city attorney to notify the Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development that the council may consider a pause; Councilor Loretta Smith was absent. The vote adopts no moratorium itself — it starts a notice clock that must run at least 45 days before a final hearing.
The resolution names no company, but the project behind most resident complaints is Amazon's planned Prime Air drone center at its warehouse on North Schmeer Road in North Portland. The council's written testimony file holds 16 entries, all backing the resolution or a moratorium, citing noise, privacy and migratory birds along the Columbia and Willamette rivers. District 2 Councilors Sameer Kanal and Elana Pirtle-Guiney introduced the measure.
Oregon law reserves regulation of drone operations to the state, leaving land use as the city's lever. Portland Permitting & Development spokesperson Ken Ray confirmed that Amazon's October 20 pre-application conference with city planners was canceled at Amazon's request and has not been rescheduled, DroneXL reported on October 16. Amazon told local media in September that it planned to begin flying in Portland in early 2027.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：亚马逊Prime Air配送无人机（资料图）。图片来源：William Warby，Wikimedia Commons，CC BY 2.0。Photo: An Amazon Prime Air delivery drone on display. Image: William Warby, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.
