MCALLEN, Texas — A Texas county has approved an election that will allow residents near SpaceX’s launch site to vote on the formal creation of a new city called Starbase.
The election is scheduled for May 3, and only residents living in the nearby unincorporated area of Cameron County, which borders Mexico, will be eligible to participate.
In December, over 70 local residents signed a petition advocating for Starbase to become its own municipality. This group primarily consists of company employees and includes more than 100 children, as highlighted in the petition.
Cameron County Judge Eddie Treviño confirmed that the petition met the necessary state requirements to move the incorporation process forward.
“If the election is successful, this will mark the newest town established in Cameron County since Los Indios in 1995,” Treviño stated. “We eagerly anticipate the results of this election.”
The general manager of Starbase has indicated that incorporating the area would facilitate development and the establishment of local amenities. However, some environmental advocates have raised concerns about potential impacts related to development.
The SpaceX launch site began operations in Texas in 2014. Remarkably, only 10 of the approximately 250 land lots within the proposed city limits are not owned by the company.
According to a local impact study released by the county last year, over 3,400 full-time SpaceX employees and contractors currently work at the Starbase facility.
Elon Musk has increasingly invested in Texas, establishing numerous business ventures across the state. Since relocating to Texas in 2020, Musk has expanded several companies due to the state’s favorable business environment.
Tesla’s Gigafactory, covering a massive 10 million square feet and producing Cybertrucks, opened near Austin in 2022 and now serves as the company’s headquarters.
