A small coastal area in South Texas, home to Elon Musk’s SpaceX rocket launch site, could become the ‘City of Starbase’ following an election scheduled for Saturday, May 3.
The incorporation vote, ordered by Cameron County Judge Eddie Treviño in February after a petition from SpaceX employees, will determine whether the 1.5-square-mile area surrounding the SpaceX facility in Boca Chica becomes the City of Starbase. The petition required signatures from at least 10% of the area’s 283 eligible voters, a threshold that was met earlier this year, The Texan reported.
Musk first proposed creating a city called Starbase in 2021, aiming to establish a community tailored to SpaceX’s operations. The city would be roughly the size of New York’s Central Park. Many of the eligible voters are SpaceX employees, and local observers expect the incorporation to pass with strong support.
Saturday’s election will also determine the city’s first mayor and two commissioners. Bobby Peden is running unopposed for mayor, while Jordan Buss and Jenna Petrzelka are running unopposed for the commissioner seats, The Texas Tribune noted. If the incorporation is approved, Starbase will become a Type C municipality, granting it limited self-governance under Texas law, and the three candidates—all SpaceX employees—will win their positions automatically.
The move has raised concerns among some locals, particularly over potential restrictions on public access to Boca Chica Beach, a popular spot known as the “poor people’s beach” for generations.
The election results are expected to be finalized by Cameron County shortly after the vote, potentially marking a historic step as the first company in Texas to incorporate its own town.