SpaceX's Company Town May Force Its Residents to Leave Their Homes

Gizmodo

2 days ago

It's been less than a month since Elon Musk got his dream town in Boca Chica, Texas, and Starbase is already a nuisance. The SpaceX town has issued a memo to residents about a new zoning ordinance and updated citywide map that could impact how they use their property.
Starbase, Texas, sent the memo to residents who own property within a 'mixed-use district' that will allow for 'residential, office, retail, and small-scale service uses,' according to a copy of the memo obtained by CNBC. The company town is set to hold a hearing on June 23 at city hall to allow for public comment on its new zoning plan 'THAT WILL DETERMINE WHETHER YOU MAY LOSE THE RIGHT TO CONTINUE USING YOUR PROPERTY FOR ITS CURRENT USE,' the memo read in all caps.
It's not exactly clear what this terse, oddly worded warning means, or if it implies that certain residents of Starbase could get kicked out of their homes. If someone loses the right to use their residence as they do now, does that mean they can't even sleep there? The memo mentions that the so-called mixed-use district will be for residential use, as well as office and retail, so perhaps some of the homes will have to be transformed into something else. Either way, residents were ominously warned to attend the upcoming hearing to find out their fate.
Earlier in May, residents voted in favor of turning Starbase into its own city. The city spans about 1.6 square miles (4.1 square kilometers) and is home to roughly 500 nearby residents, the majority of whom are SpaceX employees and contractors. SpaceX began buying land in the area in 2012 to set up shop for its rocket business. The company has expanded its presence with housing and other facilities, and even announced tentative plans to open a $15 million shopping center.
Musk first pitched the idea of turning Starbase into its own city in 2021, a long-held dream that could grant SpaceX the right to build more facilities and change the surrounding landscape. The company is currently trying to gain control of public beach closures and the closing down of roads in Boca Chica for rocket launches, ground testing, or other related activities during the week.
The company's frequent rocket launches have already been disruptive to the local community and the surrounding wildlife. Now that Starbase is a city, it may increase the company's municipal authority and allow it to overstep regulatory red tape designed to protect the environment. SpaceX is facing fines of almost $150,000 from the Environmental Protection Agency for allegedly illegally dumping pollutants into a Texas waterway without a permit.
SpaceX, however, claims otherwise. 'Our goal is to ensure that the zoning plan reflects the City's vision for balanced growth, protecting critical economic drivers, ensuring public safety, and preserving green spaces,' Starbase wrote in the memo to its residents.
The company has invested in the area by generating jobs and attracting space tourists to watch its rockets lift off to space, but its increased influence does come at a price.