Elon Musk’s SpaceX headquarters, Starbase, has informed residents of the newly incorporated city that they may “lose the right to continue using” their property as they currently do, according to media reports.
The announcement comes as the town redraws its zoning laws, CNBC reported, adding that the notice was sent to property owners as part of a proposed “mixed-use district” memo that outlines plans to allow space for “residential, office, retail, and small-scale service uses.”
The city of Starbase was officially launched on Thursday by SpaceX.
According to Valley Central, a local subsidiary of CBS, Starbase’s mayor, Robert Peden — who is also a senior SpaceX executive — and the city commission, held the town’s first public meeting at The Hub, a building owned by SpaceX.
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During the meeting, a city administrator was hired, construction regulations were approved and a committee was set up to oversee the city’s long-term development, CNBC says.
“We’re just real excited to get things going here,” city administrator Kent Myers told Valley Central.
“A lot of work has been accomplished over the last six months or so, and we’re here to celebrate the new city.”
Myers, who accepted the job on Thursday morning, signed the notice sent out by Starbase.
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Many of the city’s administrative staff work for or are affiliated with SpaceX in some capacity, including city commissioners Jenna Petrzelka and Jordan Buss, according to their LinkedIn profiles.
Earlier this month, townsfolk voted overwhelmingly in favour of establishing the SpaceX headquarters as an official city.
The decision to formally incorporate Starbase was made on May 3 by a total of 218 voters.
The small group of electors cast their ballots 212 “for” and six “against,” according to results published online by the Cameron County Elections Department.
Most of the electorate lives in the area and is employed by Musk at SpaceX, and the company owns the majority of Starbase land.
On Wednesday, SpaceX launched its ninth Starship test mission that went awry. Its now infamous spacecraft briefly breached the Earth’s atmosphere before cascading into the Indian Ocean.
Musk had also planned to launch eight simulator satellites following liftoff, which did not happen because the spacecraft’s doors failed to open fully. Shortly after, it began to spin out of control.
The company later confirmed that the spacecraft experienced “a rapid unscheduled disassembly,” adding in an online statement that its team “will continue to review data and work toward our next flight test.”
The previous two Starships never made it past the Caribbean, while more demos earlier this year ended just minutes after liftoff, raining wreckage into the ocean.
No injuries or serious damage were reported, although airline travel was disrupted. The Federal Aviation Administration last week cleared Starship for another flight, expanding the hazard area and pushing the liftoff outside peak air travel times.
A public hearing to discuss Starbase’s zoning plans is scheduled for June 23.
— With files from The Associated Press
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