Wing has taken its Walmart drone delivery plan for Cincinnati to Union Township, Ohio, where the Eastgate Walmart is in line to be one of the metro’s first drone stores. The township’s agenda for Tuesday, November 10, lists Zenobia Haynes, Wing’s permit manager, as the presenter. WKRC Local 12 reported on Friday that the trustees received the presentation this week and that flights could begin as soon as the new year.
Eastgate is the third Cincinnati-area Walmart to surface for drones since Wing and Walmart named the metro on January 11, by the record in DroneXL’s Cincinnati guide. Walmart approached Fort Wright, Kentucky, in March and filed for a nest at its Hamilton, Ohio, store in May. WKRC reported on July 15 that Hamilton’s council had approved a zoning change for that nest and that the company planned to start in the Tri-State “this summer.” Wing’s January announcement gave no date, and its map still marks Cincinnati “Coming soon.”
Wing needs township approval for its nest, the takeoff and landing area near the store, and WKRC reported that the approval is expected to be a formality. No township agenda posted so far carries a vote on it.
Wing Puts Eastgate Flights at 150 Feet and Under 70 Decibels
Trustee Joe Dills told WKRC that Wing described flights at about 150 feet (46 meters). The station reported Wing’s figure for delivery noise as under 70 decibels at the drone’s lowest point. Wing gave the council in Kirkwood, Missouri, a hover figure of about 62 decibels in October.
WKRC’s report puts the service area at a six-mile (9.7-kilometer) radius around the store, the speed at up to 55 mph (89 km/h) and the load at about 2.5 pounds (1.1 kilograms). Wing’s own numbers for Memphis, where it started Walmart deliveries the same Tuesday, are close: cruise at 150 to 200 feet (46 to 61 meters) and up to 60 mph (97 km/h), with 2.75 pounds (1.25 kilograms) a flight. The aircraft holds at about 23 feet (7 meters) and lowers the box on a tether. Wing puts its cruise noise at 43 dBA, and its October 29 post on noise gave no measured number for the delivery hover.
Dills, who chairs the board, told the station he is excited about the service and does not want the sky filled with delivery drones. On complaints, he said, “if there are any concerns or complaints, let’s partner with the township.” He described Wing as already operating in Dallas, Tampa and Memphis. Wing’s Walmart map lists Dallas-Fort Worth and Memphis as “Now serving.” Tampa is under “Coming soon” there, in the same column as Cincinnati.
Union Township’s Posted November Agendas Carry No Eastgate Nest Vote
The November 10 trustees’ agenda lists “Walmart Eastgate & Wing Drone Delivery Service Informational Presentation” under special presentations and puts no Wing item up for a vote. The Board of Zoning Appeals agenda for November 5 and the Zoning Commission agenda for November 18 list no Wing or Walmart case.
Both zoning agendas were posted in October, before Wing’s presentation. WKRC’s report does not say which township body approves the nest or when. The trustees’ next regular meeting is December 8, three and a half weeks before the new year, and its agenda was not yet posted on November 13.
The nest is the only part of the service the township gets to decide. WKRC noted that only the Federal Aviation Administration regulates the drones once they are off the ground, and DroneXL’s residents’ guide covers what a local government can and cannot do about that.
A local yes has not been automatic this year, and it has not meant flights. Hamilton’s council approved its zoning change, according to WKRC’s July report, and four months later Wing’s map lists no Cincinnati-area service. Fort Wright’s council passed a moratorium on April 15 after Walmart raised drone flights from its Supercenter there. Kirkwood’s planners recommended approval of an 18-drone Wing nest at a Walmart, and on October 15 the city council let it die without a motion.
DroneXL’s Take
Wing did this in the right order. It put its permit manager in front of the trustees at a public meeting before any vote on the nest was on an agenda. I would still hold off on calling the approval a formality or the new year a date. Hamilton’s council said yes in July, by WKRC’s account, and four months later Wing’s map still lists Cincinnati as coming soon. Kirkwood’s planners said yes too, and the council there heard its residents talk about noise and would not make a motion. If you live near Eastgate, the nest approval is your one local say in this. I wrote in October that Wing should publish a measured number for its delivery hover. Ask for it in writing before the township decides.
Sources: WKRC Local 12, WKRC Local 12, July 15, 2026, Union Township Board of Trustees agenda, November 10, 2026, Wing
DroneXL uses automated tools to support research and source retrieval. All reporting and editorial perspectives are by Haye Kesteloo. Read our editorial standards.
