overflights in 10 hours
A resident told City Council her log recorded 122 overflights directly over one home in a 10-hour period. This is a resident’s reported log, not a citywide count.
Richardson City Council meeting · Feb. 2, 2026 ↗Keep Prime Air
out of Portland.
Amazon is proposing a Prime Air drone delivery operation from its North Portland fulfillment center. Routine commercial drone delivery does not belong over Portland neighborhoods. This site tracks the proposal, the evidence—especially around noise—and the public process.
See the proposal and evidence01 / THE PROPOSAL↗
What Amazon is proposing in Portland
Amazon says it plans to install a Prime Air Drone Delivery Center (PADDC) at its SOR3 same-day fulfillment operation and launch deliveries in early 2027. Its September 9, 2026 narrative describes MK30 drones taking off from the site, following a pre-defined flight path, lowering a package to a customer's delivery point, and returning to the center.
AMAZON'S DESCRIPTION
Amazon says the MK30 is 40% quieter than its predecessor and says deliveries would happen during civil twilight. The quieter comparison is Amazon's claim; it should not be read as a 40% change in perceived loudness. The Portland proposal has not established final routes, volumes, or operating terms.
PROJECT LOCATIONNorth Schmeer Road
Portland, OregonThe City's intake form lists 515 N Schmeer Rd; the same application describes SOR3 as located at 1001 N Schmeer Rd. The source materials use both addresses for this proposal.
Portland, OregonThe City's intake form lists 515 N Schmeer Rd; the same application describes SOR3 as located at 1001 N Schmeer Rd. The source materials use both addresses for this proposal.
EARLY ASSISTANCE CASEEA 26-068984 PCPortlandMaps ID 2026-068984-000-00-EA / 5292694
PRE-APPLICATION CONFERENCEOctober 20, 2026 · 10:30 a.m.Scheduled online by Microsoft Teams.
Portland and Amazon disagree about the zoning classification. Portland Land Use Services currently interprets the proposed operation as a Helicopter Landing Facility (HLF) under the zoning code, which would require a Type III Conditional Use Review. Amazon says it and the FAA do not consider the MK30 a helicopter or the PADDC an HLF. The City says the underlying warehouse/freight use is allowed outright; the classification affects the local review path. Portland's Aug. 17 zoning analysis is file 26-055262 PR.
Read the source record ↓02 / WHY OPPOSE PRIME AIR IN PORTLAND↗
Routine delivery drones would add a recurring source of aerial noise to Portland neighborhoods.
Noise is not only a question of one decibel value. The duration, frequency content, tonality, and fluctuation of a sound can shape how people experience it. The FAA-hosted MK30 testing and peer-reviewed drone-noise research below give readers documented measurements and context for assessing that concern.
03 / WHAT THE NOISE EVIDENCE SHOWS↗
82.8 dBA at 25 feet. What does that mean?
The FAA-hosted MK30 test report gives an Lmax of 82.8 dBA at about 25 feet during a max-weight delivery test. It is a recorded peak from a test maneuver, not a prediction for every home or flight.
Reference points at about 25 feetdBA
Amazon MK30Lmax · max-weight delivery test · ~25 ft
82.8Gas lawn mowerAverage in Consumer Reports testing
~73Gas leaf blowerEstimate: published 50-ft ratings adjusted to ~25 ft
~71–77Car hornOne NYC field measurement · Lmax
87These values come from different test methods and are for context, not direct apples-to-apples laboratory comparisons.
Drone noise can draw more attention
In a controlled study, two drone types were rated more annoying than cars and other aircraft at the same sound exposure level. The study did not test the MK30; a research review says evidence remains limited. Peer-reviewed study ↗ · Research review ↗
04 / FLIGHT FREQUENCY↗
One flight is an event. Repeated flights become the soundscape.
The number of passes overhead can shape a neighborhood’s experience as much as the level of any one event.
drone movements in one hour
A reporter observed about 25 departures and 25 arrivals at Amazon’s Papillion facility between 11:45 a.m. and 12:45 p.m.
3 News Now report ↗deliveries per operating day
Amazon sought this operating ceiling for some other Prime Air hubs in FAA materials. It is not an observed daily count and is not a Portland-specific proposal.
FAA review materials ↗05 / CONSUMER RECORDINGS↗
Hear what drone delivery can sound like
These two YouTube Shorts were shared by the site owner. The uploader, aircraft model, date, and location have not been independently verified, so they are not presented as Portland or MK30 recordings.
Consumer recordings are illustrative, not calibrated measurements. Recording distance, microphone response, wind, surroundings, and playback equipment affect what you hear.
CLIP 01 / 02
SOURCE DETAILS UNVERIFIED
Uploader, aircraft model, date, and location are not confirmed.
If the player won’t load, watch on YouTube ↗SOURCE DETAILS UNVERIFIED
Uploader, aircraft model, date, and location are not confirmed.
If the player won’t load, watch on YouTube ↗06 / WHERE THE PORTLAND PROPOSAL STANDS↗
The local approval path is still a current question.
Portland's zoning analysis points toward a Type III Conditional Use process. Amazon disputes the underlying HLF classification, so this sequence describes the City's current interpretation, not a final approval path.
- 01Early assistanceApplication received Sept. 17; conference scheduled Oct. 20, 2026.
- 02Conditional Use applicationIf the HLF classification stands, a Type III application would follow.
- 03Public notice & hearingPortland's Type III process includes public notice and a hearing.
- 04Decision & possible appealTiming and later steps depend on the application and City process.
Portland-specific flight paths and site-specific approvals are not established in the materials summarized here.
Process details from Portland's Type III procedure page.Read Portland's process guide ↗
07 / PRIMARY SOURCES↗
Read the record for yourself.
City interpretations, Amazon's account, independent technical analysis, and peer-reviewed research are kept distinct. Supplied application documents are cited by file number when no stable public copy is available.
CITY OF PORTLANDEarly Assistance case · EA 26-068984 PC↗Type III land-use review↗Public land-use notices↗Noise Review Board↗
Complex Zoning Analysis 26-055262 PR, Aug. 17, 2026. Supplied City document; request the record by file number if a public copy is not available.
AMAZON SUBMISSION
Project narrative, Sept. 9, 2026 · case EA 26-068984 PC
Amazon says it and the FAA disagree with Portland's HLF classification. Amazon's operational and sound descriptions are company claims, not independent findings.
FAA-HOSTED TECHNICAL REPORTEstimated Noise Levels for Amazon Prime Air MK30 Drone · Sept. 2025↗
Prime Air collected the test measurements; ESA processed and analyzed them in coordination with the FAA. The report models other operational scenarios and is not a Portland-specific analysis.
PEER-REVIEWED RESEARCHShort-term drone-noise annoyance laboratory study · 2024↗Drone-noise emissions and effects systematic review · 2021↗
These studies concern drones generally and do not test Amazon's MK30.
08 / GET UPDATES↗
Follow the public record.
Use the RSS feed to receive new entries in a feed reader when the City posts a formal application, hearing, or other significant development.
Subscribe to updates by RSSPre-application conference scheduled
UPCOMINGPortland's Early Assistance record lists the meeting for 10:30 a.m.
Noise Office variance update
REPORTEDIn an email to the site maintainer, the office said it had not received an Amazon noise-variance application and did not expect a variance item on the Oct. 21 agenda. This does not establish whether other HLF-related review steps apply.
Early Assistance application received
ON RECORDPortland intake record lists case EA 26-068984 PC.