Commercial Drones in Redmond
City officials prepare for a new age of commercial drone presence in Redmond
Drone deliveries may be in our future.
Article by Madeline Virginia
Art by Jason Miller
Originally published July 6, 2026
Redmond Moments Newspaper, Summer 2026 Edition
City leadership and members of the community gathered at City Hall on June 2 for a public hearing to learn more about a big industry that is at Redmond’s doorstep.
Redmond City Council previously issued a temporary ordinance in April that limited drone landing port development to parts of the manufacturing and industrial zones of Redmond.
The public hearing provided some context to the ordinance, and gave the Redmond community their first chance to voice opinions on commercial drone operation in the city.
Promotional image of a Platform 2 Zipline commercial drone making a delivery. Image Credit: Zipline Inc.
A High-Stakes Public Hearing
The public hearing and informational session on June 2 opened a much-needed discussion within the community to understand the topic further, and what commercial drones in Redmond would mean for daily life.
As the City of Redmond explained in a statement, “Commercial drone ports are facilities where drones (also referred to as “unmanned aerial vehicles” or UAVs) load up, launch, and return after making deliveries of things like restaurant food or consumer goods.”
Mayor Angela Birney and representatives from the city Planning Commission started the meeting with some context: The city of Redmond cannot ban or limit drones from entering Redmond airspace. Most everything relating to drone flight and operations are regulated by the Federal Aviation Administration.
Members of the public were welcome to make a statement, and six people spoke to the council.
Interestingly, the first three spots were taken by executives from a California-based company called Zipline, including vice president Chris Kenney. Zipline is a commercial drone company who has expressed interest in operating in Redmond.
Promotional image of a delivery pod being lowered from a commercial drone to the front of a house. Image Credit: Zipline Inc.
The three executives used their time to introduce Zipline’s previous overseas projects, and to request that the Redmond City Council rework their temporary ordinance to loosen limitations around residential areas.
After the executives, Redmond residents got a chance to speak.
They brought up worthwhile questions, and requested further information about drone purposes, noise levels, surveillance, data, privacy and safety risks.
The clear shared sentiment among the residents was that the allowance of drones in the city is moving too fast, and there are too many questions left unanswered.
Timeline: Why drones? Why now?
The arrival of drones (and industry executives) in Redmond is no coincidence. The commercial drone industry has gotten a big boost over the last year, which has led to a nation-wide expansion. Here is a little more about Zipline, and how they got to Redmond.
“Sometimes the city of Redmond has to be groundbreaking . . ”
City Council’s Conclusion
City council members then engaged in a discussion with two representatives from Redmond’s Planning Commission. During the back and forth, new information was presented to council including the idea that the Redmond Police Department may be able to establish flight paths within the city (Under the soon to be established “Office of Air Management”).
As it stands, the line between the city’s jurisdiction and the FAA’s is unclear.
Redmond could be in a unique position to explore the limitations of a community’s control over their commercial airspace, therefore setting a precedent for this quickly developing industry.
Council president Melissa Stuart stated, “Sometimes the city of Redmond has to be groundbreaking… If we go first, we will start a regional conversation. That feels pretty sacred, and like a responsibility we should get right.”
Council members were in agreement that proceeding will require caution and careful deliberation. There was also an emphasis that slowing the process down did not equate to being anti-technology.
Councilmember Sayna Parsi explained, “There are no doubts about the promise of this technology, but we shouldn’t sacrifice privacy at the altar of convenience.”
Councilmember Parsi voiced her concerns about the potential for drones to collect data on Redmond residents. She said, “Drones do not just transport goods, they collect data as part of their operation… It is important to note that new technology rarely distributes their benefits and burdens equally.”
City Council concluded the night’s business by unanimously passing an amendment to the temporary ordinance issued earlier: Until city regulation can be established, NO drone ports can be developed anywhere in Redmond, including the manufacturing and industrial zones.
The city has outlined a one-year timeline, during which the city will seek significant community engagement, and establish permanent regulation for commercial drone port land uses.
The next public hearing will be held at City Hall on July 21. Community members are encouraged to visit the information page on Redmond.gov to submit public comments, provide feedback, read FAQs and learn more.
Redmond Moments will be providing continuous coverage of this topic as it develops over the next year.
**This article was updated on July 12. 2026 to fix the spelling of council members Melissa Stuart and Sayna Parsi.**
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