Amazon is quietly moving to turn part of its West Dallas fulfillment campus into a drone launch hub, with plans on file to build the first of 22 planned Prime Air "drone paddocks" across Texas at 1301 Chalk Hill Road. The proposal would bolt landing pads, shade canopies, and a modular operations office onto an existing fulfillment center in a project valued at about $25 million. If permits and federal approvals fall into place, construction could begin this summer with test flights later in the year.
What Amazon filed in West Dallas
Boston-based commercial real estate tracker BLDUP first flagged the local application, and Dallas Innovates reported that the filing, posted publicly April 17, identifies the Chalk Hill site as DAL3 and pegs the work at roughly $25 million. According to that report, the project would expand the existing facility with dedicated drone landing pads, shade structures, and a modular office where Prime Air teams would monitor flights. Dallas Innovates, citing BLDUP's timeline, also notes that construction is slated to start this summer, with final test flights potentially beginning as early as August if the Federal Aviation Administration signs off.
FAA sign off, flight limits and the MK30
The Federal Aviation Administration's Finding of No Significant Impact and Record of Decision for Amazon's Texas plan lists DAL3 at 1301 Chalk Hill Road and approves an amendment that would allow Prime Air operations at 22 locations statewide. The document says each Prime Air Delivery Drone Center, or PADDC, could host up to 1,000 delivery flights per operating day, with service hours running from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., and notes that each PADDC's potential operating area could span roughly 174 square miles.
The environmental assessment also lays out technical specs for the MK30 aircraft. The drones weigh about 78 pounds, can carry up to 5 pounds of payload, and typically operate within about 7.5 miles of their base. Flight operations are generally conducted under 400 feet above ground level, with packages released from around 13 feet.
Richardson's rollout shows neighborhood friction
North Texas already has a preview of how all this can play out on the ground. In February, a Prime Air test flight in Richardson struck the side of an apartment building, triggering anger on the block and fresh questions for city leaders about what, exactly, residents had signed up for. Neighbors have also complained about frequent, low-altitude overflights.
The Dallas Observer reported on a March city council meeting where residents pressed Amazon about noise and privacy. A company representative told council members the Richardson site had already delivered more than 13,000 orders since it launched. In more granular neighborhood coverage, delivery drone slams Richardson apartment coverage captured the immediate safety worries that have pushed local officials to pursue route changes, noise studies, and additional community outreach.
What this could mean for West Dallas
Amazon pitches Prime Air as one piece of a larger effort to speed up delivery. In his April shareholder letter, CEO Andy Jassy called Prime Air "a multi-year invention cycle" and said the company aims to serve 30 million customers by the end of this year and deliver half a billion packages by the end of the decade. The letter from Amazon makes clear the company sees drones as a complement to its same-day fulfillment centers, which could cut some truck miles on local roads but also create persistent low-altitude drone traffic near homes and businesses.
Given the FAA's rules on hours and per-site flight caps, West Dallas planners are likely to push for detailed route maps, noise monitoring, and fast incident response protocols as part of any approval or operating agreement. The Chalk Hill site sits in a part of the city that already lives with heavy logistics traffic, and the question for neighbors is whether trading some vans for buzzing aircraft feels like an upgrade.
Timeline and next steps
Public records show Amazon's local filing was posted in mid-April, and, according to Dallas Innovates, construction at DAL3 could start this summer. Test flights for final FAA approval could begin as early as August. Before drones can actually launch from Chalk Hill, Amazon still needs local permitting and final FAA amendments to its operations specifications. Residents should watch for city-hosted briefings and permit notices that will spell out how the paddock is expected to operate.
If the West Dallas PADDC moves ahead, it will serve as an early test of whether Prime Air can scale inside denser North Texas neighborhoods without repeating the kind of community friction already on display in Richardson. For now, the Chalk Hill proposal is the latest step in Prime Air's rapid Texas expansion, and a reminder that rolling out drone logistics is as much a zoning hearing and neighborhood meeting issue as it is an aviation one. City staff, neighborhood groups and Amazon will ultimately decide the safeguards and schedules that determine whether the West Dallas drone paddock fades into the background of daily life or turns into the next flashpoint for local pushback.
