Residents of Starbase, Texas—the newly incorporated company town run by Elon Musk's SpaceX—have been warned they could "lose the right" to use their land as they do now under a sweeping new zoning proposal.
Earlier this month, the unincorporated village of Boca Chica was officially converted into the city of Starbase, a municipality overseen by SpaceX-affiliated leadership following a successful local vote, CNBC reported.
The company town exists primarily to support SpaceX operations, including the testing and launching of its Starship rocket system. Of the town's roughly 500 residents, more than half work for SpaceX.
On May 21, the city of Starbase notified property owners in a proposed "Mixed Use District" that a new zoning ordinance could impact their current land use. The ordinance would allow for residential, commercial and small-scale industrial uses, but could also restrict current property rights.
In a memo obtained by the outlet, the city's administrator wrote, "THE CITY OF STARBASE IS HOLDING A HEARING THAT WILL DETERMINE WHETHER YOU MAY LOSE THE RIGHT TO CONTINUE USING YOUR PROPERTY FOR ITS CURRENT USE, PLEASE READ THIS NOTICE CAREFULLY."
A public hearing is scheduled for June 23 at the city's temporary town hall in Brownsville, Texas. City officials—many of whom are SpaceX or former SpaceX employees—have not publicly addressed whether resident protections or compensation will be included in the plan.
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