Drones dropping Walmart groceries straight into Union Township yards could be a reality as soon as January, after a representative from delivery company Wing pitched township trustees on a plan to launch flights from the Eastgate Walmart on Eastgate Square Drive. The catch: Wing still needs the township's sign-off to build the launch pad, known as a “nest,” before any of it can take flight.
A Wing representative presented the delivery plan to an audience of township trustees Tuesday night, according to wyso.org. The company told the station that drones could start delivering Walmart orders to Union Township residents as soon as January, though that timeline still hinges on the township granting permitting approval for the nest near the store. Once approved, Wing said construction could wrap in as little as seven days, according to a separate report from wvxu.org.
Union Township Trustee Joe Dills and his fellow trustees received the company presentation earlier in the week, according to WKRC. Dills said he was excited about the drone delivery option, but he also said he did not want the sky filled with delivery drones, the station reported.
How the Delivery Flights Would Work
Under the proposal, Wing's drones would make fully autonomous flights at up to 55 miles per hour to any single-family residence within six miles of the Eastgate Walmart, per the report from wyso.org. Packages would be capped at roughly 2.5 pounds, and rather than landing, the drone would hover and lower the item while staying in flight. The drones would then return to Walmart after each delivery, according to WKRC's reporting. Per Dills, WKRC reported the drones would cruise around 150 feet above ground.
Wing's aircraft are automated with no pilot onboard, and the company says they are designed for smaller orders rather than full grocery runs. The station's report notes the drones are equipped with cameras to assist with navigation, but there is no live feed — the cameras help the aircraft avoid obstacles rather than stream footage back to anyone watching. Wing has said deliveries would be free for Walmart Plus members.
Weather, Noise and Zoning Questions
Winter weather in the Tri-State could complicate the rollout. Wing told trustees the drones might be grounded in snow but can still fly in rainy conditions, and per WKRC's report, the aircraft can also handle some high-wind situations and moderate rain. On the noise question, Wing permitting manager Zenobia Haynes told trustees that a drone's sound rises from 43 to nearly 63 decibels during an actual delivery, but said that is still quieter than an idling truck, the same report notes. WKRC separately reported Wing's claim that its drones stay below 70 decibels at their lowest point during delivery and are quieter than a typical delivery truck, with most of the flight producing only a slight buzz.
On the zoning side, Union Township Administrator Cory Wright said the proposed drone operation would be an approved use under the existing zoning code, according to the station's report. WKRC separately reported that nest approval is expected to be a formality. Beyond the township line, regulatory authority gets more complicated: once a drone is airborne, cities and townships cannot regulate it, and that authority instead falls to the Federal Aviation Administration, per WKRC's reporting. Ohio law allows townships to adopt ordinances, resolutions or regulations regarding the use and operation of government-owned-and-operated unmanned aerial vehicles, and regarding hobby or recreational unmanned aerial vehicles on a government entity's public property, subject to other sections of the Ohio Revised Code.
A Regional Push Still Finding Its Footing
Wing told trustees it typically waits until three sites are permitted and fully built before actually launching service in a market, wvxu.org reported. The company said it had already started operating in Houston, Atlanta, Orlando, Tampa and, as of Tuesday, Memphis. WKRC's report also noted Wing operates drones in Dallas, Tampa and Memphis, per Dills.
Eastgate is reportedly the third Cincinnati-area Walmart to surface as a possible Wing drone site, following earlier plans in Fort Wright and Hamilton, according to dronexl.co. That outlet noted Hamilton's council approved a zoning change for its own Wing nest back in July, but four months later the company's service map still listed no Cincinnati-area coverage — a reminder that local approvals don't always translate into a fast launch. The same report said Wing began Walmart deliveries in the Memphis area on November 10, 2026.
WKRC reported that proposed delivery coverage out of Eastgate would stretch east to Mercy Health Clermont Hospital and west to Mount Washington, making the Eastgate store one of the first in the region positioned to offer drone delivery if the nest is approved. The push is part of a larger expansion: Wing and Walmart have said they plan to add drone delivery at 150 Walmart stores over the next year, reaching more than 40 million Americans, and to build a network of more than 270 drone delivery locations in 2027, according to wing.com. Delivery volume across the partnership tripled in the six months before that announcement, per supplychaindive.com. In the Memphis area, residents near three Walmart stores in Tennessee and Arkansas can already order everyday items for delivery to their yards in as fast as 30 minutes, according to a report from progressivegrocer.com.
For now, Wing says it aims to be residential-friendly and has invited Union Township residents with concerns to work with the township as the proposal moves forward, per WKRC's reporting. Whether the nest gets approved — and whether January turns out to be realistic — remains in the township's hands.
