People living in the city of Starbase, Texas, just got a pretty serious heads-up.
They were told they might lose the right to keep using their own property the way they’ve been using it.
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Starbase, which is now basically a SpaceX town, is working on a brand-new zoning plan. And it’s already worrying many people.
Residents are being warned their property use could change
The city sent out a notice saying certain properties might fall under a new area called the “Mixed Use District.” That includes homes, stores, offices, small service businesses — kind of a blend of everything.
But here’s the part that really grabbed attention: “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.”
The city says they’re just following Texas law by giving people a heads-up. Still, that warning feels like a punch in the gut for anyone living there.
A new zoning plan is in the works
There’s going to be a public hearing on June 23 to talk about this whole thing.
It’s happening at the temporary city hall in Brownsville. Anyone who wants to speak up can do it there, or send in comments the day before.
According to the notice, the goal is to build a plan that balances growth, protects jobs, keeps people safe, and saves some green spaces.
The people getting these notices are the ones who’d be directly affected if this zoning thing goes through.
What the “Mixed Use District” actually means
Basically, this new district would mix everything together — housing, offices, shops, small businesses.
It’s not just a plan; they’ve already sent out a map so folks can see what’s changing.
The draft rules will be posted on the city’s site three days before the hearing. That’s when residents can take a closer look at what this means for them.
People running Starbase are tied to SpaceX
Starbase isn’t just a random small town.
It officially became a type of city earlier this month, after SpaceX won a local election.
Now the city is run by people who either work for SpaceX or used to.
Most Starbase residents are connected to SpaceX
At the start of the year, about 500 people lived there.
Out of those, more than half worked directly for SpaceX, according to the Texas Tribune.
Most of the rest are family members of employees. So yeah, it’s pretty much a SpaceX neighborhood.
The town is built around the Starship launch site
Starbase isn’t just homes and streets. It’s also where SpaceX does test flights for its massive Starship rocket.
The whole area covers about 1.6 square miles, and a lot of that land belongs to the company.
The latest Starship test ended in an explosion
Just two days before the town’s first city commission meeting, SpaceX tried another Starship launch.
It didn’t go well. The rocket exploded again. That’s now the third failure in a row.
Elon Musk said they’re looking into the data to figure out what went wrong, but thankfully the FAA said there were no injuries or damage to public property.
Musk’s big goal is to reach the Moon and Mars
These Starship rockets aren’t just random.
They’re built to carry people and gear around Earth, and eventually to the Moon. Maybe even Mars, if Musk gets his way.
That’s the long-term vision behind all these launches.
Running Starbase gives SpaceX more control
Turning Starbase into a full-on company town gives SpaceX a lot more freedom. They can now build, test, and launch stuff without jumping through a ton of hoops.
The town is still pushing to get even more control, like shutting down roads and beaches during launch days without having to ask anyone for permission.
For now, residents just have to wait and see what happens next and what exactly might change.
