Amazon Prime Air’s planned expansion is encountering local permitting delays in both Westborough, Massachusetts, and North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, underscoring the importance of municipal approvals in the rollout of commercial drone delivery.
What happened
In Westborough, the town’s Planning Board materials show Amazon’s site-plan review for a proposed Prime Air drone delivery center at 64 Otis Street has been continued to November 10, 2026. Amazon has proposed a fenced launch-and-landing area at an existing fulfillment site.
In North Myrtle Beach, city staff are continuing review of Amazon’s proposed drone launch pad at 8651 Water Tower Road. Local planning materials show the project requires Planning Commission review before approval, and reporting indicates the city is still working through site and public-review questions.
Why it matters
Prime Air’s national expansion depends on more than FAA authorization. Each new operating site also has to clear local land-use, site-plan, fire-access and community-review processes. Delays at individual facilities can therefore slow the pace at which announced markets become active delivery networks.
The Westborough and North Myrtle Beach reviews are useful indicators of a broader scaling challenge: commercial drone delivery may be technically and federally authorized while still waiting on local approvals before operations can begin.
What to watch
- Westborough’s November 10 Planning Board review
- North Myrtle Beach Planning Commission action and any required public workshop
- Changes to site design or operating plans resulting from local review
- Whether similar local permitting delays appear in other Prime Air expansion markets
Sources
- Town of Westborough — Planning Board meeting packets
- Town of Westborough — Prime Air community meeting notice
- WMBF — North Myrtle Beach Amazon drone launch pad review
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