McAllen, Texas – Texas County held the election that SpaceX is sought on Wednesday, allowing billionaire Elon Musk’s company to decide whether to officially create a new city called Starbase.
The election will be set for May 3rd, with votes being cast only by residents living near the launch site, part of Cameron County’s unincorporated area, currently along the US-Mexico border.
In December, more than 70 local residents signed a petition requesting elections to make Starbase a unique municipality. According to a copy of the petition obtained by the Associated Press, most of the residents are company employees, and the community includes more than 100 children.
Cameron County Judge Eddie Trevinho said the county has reviewed the petition and meets the state’s requirements for the incorporation process.
“If the election passes, this will be the latest town in Cameron County since Los Indios in 1995,” Trevinho said in a statement. “I look forward to seeing the results of this election.”
SpaceX did not immediately respond to requests for comment Wednesday.
Kathryn Lueders, general manager of Starbase, previously said that establishment would streamline certain processes and build local amenities. Some local environmental advocates have expressed concern about what the impacts mean for development.
SpaceX launch site broke the ground in Texas in 2014. Of the approximately 250 land within the proposed new city limits, only 10 do not belong to the company.
More than 3,400 full-time SpaceX employees and contractors work on the Starbase site, according to a local impact survey published by the county last year.
The mask has long planted business roots in Texas and is widely spread throughout the Lone Star state. The billionaire moved to Texas in 2020, citing the state’s business-friendly climate, moving or expanding to many companies in the state.
Tesla’s huge 10 million square feet (930,000 square meters) Giga Factory will open in 2022 near Austin and will also be opening as the company’s headquarters.
