The neighborhood once known as Boca Chica Village is seen near the SpaceX facilities where they build rockets in Brownsville, Texas, on May 3, 2025.
Gabriel Cardenas | AFP | Getty Images
Starbase, Texas, has notified some residents that they might “lose the right to continue using” their property as they do today, according to a memo obtained by CNBC.
The town, home to Elon Musk‘s SpaceX, is considering a new zoning ordinance and city-wide map.
The notice, sent to property owners in a proposed “Mixed Use District,” would allow for “residential, office, retail, and small-scale service uses.”
Starbase plans to host a public hearing on Monday, June 23, 2025, about the proposed new zoning and map for the town. The notice was signed by Kent Myers, a city administrator for Starbase and radiation test specialist at SpaceX according to his LinkedIn profile.
Representatives for Starbase and SpaceX did not respond to requests for further information on Thursday.
A “type-C municipal corporation,” Starbase was officially formed earlier this month after Musk’s aerospace and defense contractor prevailed in a local election. It is now run by officials who are SpaceX employees and former employees.
As of early this year, the population of Starbase stood around 500 people, with around 260 directly employed by SpaceX, the Texas Tribune reported. Most other residents of Starbase are relatives of SpaceX employees.
The company town includes the launch facility where SpaceX conducts test flights of its massive Starship rocket, and company-owned land covering a 1.6 square-mile area.
Starbase is holding its first city commission meeting on Thursday, two days after SpaceX conducted its ninth test flight of the massive Starship rocket from the Texas coast facility.
The rocket exploded during the test flight, marking a catastrophic loss and a third-consecutive setback for the aerospace and defense contractor. Following the incident, Musk, who also leads Tesla, focused on data and lessons to be learned from the explosions.
The FAA said there had been “no reports of public injury or damage to public property” on Wednesday.
The Starship system was developed to transport people and equipment around Earth, and to the Moon, and Musk envisions the rocket someday being used to colonize Mars.
The SpaceX Starbase industrial complex and rocket launch facility in Boca Chica, Texas, US, on Thursday, April 17, 2025.
Mark Felix | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Musk’s rocket maker has taken in more than $20 billion in government contracts since 2008, and is poised to take in several billion dollars annually for years to come.
Establishing Starbase as a company town helps SpaceX attain nearly unfettered permission to build, test or launch from its industrial complex on the Texas Gulf Coast.
The town is still trying to win the ability to close a main road and beaches for launch activity during the week without seeking municipal or other authority.
Here’s the text of the zoning memo sent to Starbase residents:
May 21, 2025
Dear Starbase Property Owner/Property Occupant,
Notice is hereby given that the City Commission for the City of Starbase will conduct a Public Hearing on Monday, June 23, 2025, at 9:00 a.m., at the City of Starbase temporary city hall located at 39046 LBJ Boulevard, Brownsville, TX 78521, to hear public comments, consider and act upon the adoption of a Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance and city wide Zoning Map.
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. You are receiving this notice because you own the above listed property that will be located in the “Mixed Use District” and will be impacted if the zoning ordinance is approved.
The Mixed Use District allows for a blend of residential, office, retail, and small-scale service uses. A proposed zoning map is enclosed with this notice. You may view the draft zoning ordinance on the City’s website 72 hours prior to the above listed public hearing.
The City is required by Texas law to notify you of the following: 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. The foregoing notice is required by Texas Local Government Code section 211.006(a-1). The proposed zoning ordinance is based on current and existing uses.
Please contact City Administrator Kent Myers [email address redacted] with any questions or written comments. Your written comments must be submitted by 3:00 pm on June 22, 2025. Public comments may also be given at the above listed public hearing.
Best Wishes,
Kent Myers
City Administrator, City of Starbase
[addresses redacted]
cityofstarbase-texas.com
