Starbase, Texas

[RedLineTrain]

Brownsville city limit is visible also on https://www.cameroncad.org/Pages/MapSearch - I think just west of the South Port connector road.

This map also already has the Starbase city limit.

[catdlr]

Is the zip code for Starbase, Texas is 78521?

[mlindner]

Is the zip code for Starbase, Texas is 78521?

That's what maps show and that's what it was before it became Starbase so I would assume so. (A lot of people on social media kept thinking it'd get its own zip code but cities don't get zip codes.)

[mlindner]

SpaceX has been posting a lot of documents on their website. Including the proposed city budget: https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/67fcab04e05680343de9ea4e/684a844814e7679434244a90_2025-05-20%20Starbase%20Stub%20Budget%20VF.pdf

Lots of other files here, though several of the links appear to be broken or link to the wrong document: https://cityofstarbase-texas.com/ordinances

The city zoning map was also posted.

[danneely]

SpaceX has been posting a lot of documents on their website. Including the proposed city budget: https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/67fcab04e05680343de9ea4e/684a844814e7679434244a90_2025-05-20%20Starbase%20Stub%20Budget%20VF.pdf

Lots of other files here, though several of the links appear to be broken or link to the wrong document: https://cityofstarbase-texas.com/ordinances

The city zoning map was also posted.

It's interesting that the actual beach is being zoned heavy industry, not open space.  My understanding from prior discussions was that that area was absolutely non-buildable.

[mlindner]

SpaceX has been posting a lot of documents on their website. Including the proposed city budget: https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/67fcab04e05680343de9ea4e/684a844814e7679434244a90_2025-05-20%20Starbase%20Stub%20Budget%20VF.pdf

Lots of other files here, though several of the links appear to be broken or link to the wrong document: https://cityofstarbase-texas.com/ordinances

The city zoning map was also posted.

It's interesting that the actual beach is being zoned heavy industry, not open space.  My understanding from prior discussions was that that area was absolutely non-buildable.

The beach isn't controllable by the city so the local zoning is irrelevant anyway. They just color coded based on county property lines which technically extend out into the ocean.

[danneely]

SpaceX has been posting a lot of documents on their website. Including the proposed city budget: https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/67fcab04e05680343de9ea4e/684a844814e7679434244a90_2025-05-20%20Starbase%20Stub%20Budget%20VF.pdf

Lots of other files here, though several of the links appear to be broken or link to the wrong document: https://cityofstarbase-texas.com/ordinances

The city zoning map was also posted.

It's interesting that the actual beach is being zoned heavy industry, not open space.  My understanding from prior discussions was that that area was absolutely non-buildable.

The beach isn't controllable by the city so the local zoning is irrelevant anyway. They just color coded based on county property lines which technically extend out into the ocean.

Drawing another zoning line on the existing borders between the inshore lots they're building on and the dune lots between them and the ocean shouldn't have cost anything extra though.  The functional outcome wouldn't change, but it would be one less distraction SpaceX/Starbase PR and Legal representatives will have to waste time defending against when the usual suspects make the inevitable accusations. 

[mlindner]

SpaceX has been posting a lot of documents on their website. Including the proposed city budget: https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/67fcab04e05680343de9ea4e/684a844814e7679434244a90_2025-05-20%20Starbase%20Stub%20Budget%20VF.pdf

Lots of other files here, though several of the links appear to be broken or link to the wrong document: https://cityofstarbase-texas.com/ordinances

The city zoning map was also posted.

It's interesting that the actual beach is being zoned heavy industry, not open space.  My understanding from prior discussions was that that area was absolutely non-buildable.

The beach isn't controllable by the city so the local zoning is irrelevant anyway. They just color coded based on county property lines which technically extend out into the ocean.

Drawing another zoning line on the existing borders between the inshore lots they're building on and the dune lots between them and the ocean shouldn't have cost anything extra though.  The functional outcome wouldn't change, but it would be one less distraction SpaceX/Starbase PR and Legal representatives will have to waste time defending against when the usual suspects make the inevitable accusations.

There aren't "dune lots" between SpaceX property and the ocean. SpaceX's lots run directly into the ocean.

[danneely]

SpaceX has been posting a lot of documents on their website. Including the proposed city budget: https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/67fcab04e05680343de9ea4e/684a844814e7679434244a90_2025-05-20%20Starbase%20Stub%20Budget%20VF.pdf

Lots of other files here, though several of the links appear to be broken or link to the wrong document: https://cityofstarbase-texas.com/ordinances

The city zoning map was also posted.

It's interesting that the actual beach is being zoned heavy industry, not open space.  My understanding from prior discussions was that that area was absolutely non-buildable.

The beach isn't controllable by the city so the local zoning is irrelevant anyway. They just color coded based on county property lines which technically extend out into the ocean.

Drawing another zoning line on the existing borders between the inshore lots they're building on and the dune lots between them and the ocean shouldn't have cost anything extra though.  The functional outcome wouldn't change, but it would be one less distraction SpaceX/Starbase PR and Legal representatives will have to waste time defending against when the usual suspects make the inevitable accusations.

There aren't "dune lots" between SpaceX property and the ocean. SpaceX's lots run directly into the ocean.

The 395139 lot with the launch site runs directly into the ocean.  The stack of lots below it along the shore (172970-80) are just dunes running out past the (eroded?) shoreline; there's also the row of swamp lots behind them (172939-42) which are also non-developable.  Most of both groups are doubly undevelopable as state park land.  All of that could and should have been designated as parkland in zoning.

[Simmie82]

On today's Starbase Commission Meeting agenda is a proposal to annex a number of SpaceX-owned lots into the city, including Massey's, adding 173.623 acres to the city: https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/67fcab04e05680343de9ea4e/685579fafa4ffd528663f8c4_Final%20Agenda%20Packet%20for%206.23.2025%20Commission%20Meeting.pdf

agenda items D-5 thru D-8. In that PDF, the details of the annexation start on page 184, and continue until page 254 (there are a lot of verbose and repetitive legal formalities involved in the process). Page 191 has a map.

Some other interesting tidbits: page 105-106 has a letter from lawyers representing the owners of the Sanchez site (which SpaceX leases), objecting to the rezoning, and mentioning they have ongoing litigation with SpaceX (and SpaceX subsidiary Dogleg Park) over the property. I don't think their objection can stop the city rezoning their property (plus there's a bunch more from less notable property owners, I think all of them are absentee owners not residents), although there is some risk they may respond by suing the city to try to get the rezoning overturned in court.

Page 301 has maps showing where the city plans to install gates to essentially turn the main residential area of Starbase (the Village) into a gated community. Although, at least from my reading, while the gates will stop public vehicular access, I don't know if they'll also apply to public pedestrian access.

Pages 6 onwards disclose plans for a SpaceX-arranged July 4th fireworks event at Boca Chica Beach.

Page 305 discloses the city is applying to USPS for "Starbase" to be valid to use on address lines. Currently, the official postal addresses inside Starbase still say "Brownsville". From memory, a similar request was already made some months back, which didn't seem to go anywhere, but it is plausible USPS will be much more receptive to such a request coming from an incorporated city than an unincorporated area.

[mlindner]

Here's the map of the controlled access gates being installed around what was formerly Boca Chica Village. I suppose tourists will no longer be able to access it. I guess the "Mary shrine" thing on LBJ Blvd will also now be inaccessible to the public.

[mlindner]

Update from Starbase's X account:

https://x.com/StarbaseTX/status/1937198108435239318

Since incorporation, Starbase has been operating quickly and efficiently to build the best community possible. Today the City Commission reviewed the proposed zoning map and comprehensive zoning ordinance to guide our city’s growth: https://cityofstarbase-texas.com/commission-updates

[catdlr]

Here's the map of the controlled access gates being installed around what was formerly Boca Chica Village. I suppose tourists will no longer be able to access it. I guess the "Mary shrine" thing on LBJ Blvd will also now be inaccessible to the public.

That may or may not hurt the "Sushi Bar" if the only customers are from the community, unless the company is subsidizing it.

[Simmie82]

I guess the "Mary shrine" thing on LBJ Blvd will also now be inaccessible to the public.

The "Mary shrine" has been gone for well over a year now. See update from bocachicagirl from last year: https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=49090.msg2559163#msg2559163

[dninness]

Noticed a number of new gates on RGV's latest flyover pics. Not sure about the east most gate, though. Now I want to look again.

[zubenelgenubi: Delete tapatalk tags when posting on this forum.]

[catdlr]

Noticed a number of new gates on RGV's latest flyover pics. Not sure about the east most gate, though. Now I want to look again.

https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=53216.msg2696125#msg2696125

[StraumliBlight]

Starbase Project	Start Date	Completion Date	Cost ($)	Area (ft²)
Starfactory Phase 1	1/31/2022	7/30/2022	1,200,200	97,526
Test Shop Facility	7/1/2023	6/1/2024	850,000	8,530
Site Parking Garage	2/5/2024	8/21/2024	21,000,000	269,744
Starbase Office	2/23/2024	1/1/2025	100,000,000	329,493
Sushi Restaurant	5/1/2024	5/31/2025	499,000	2,502
Gigabay	7/1/2025	12/31/2026	250,000,000	700,000

[RedLineTrain]

700,000 square feet seems to be much larger than what is currently under construction.

[DanClemmensen]

700,000 square feet seems to be much larger than what is currently under construction.

How do you measure sq. ft. for Gigabay?  If it has two floors of "office space" at the top, does that triple the sq. ft.?

[RedLineTrain]

700,000 square feet seems to be much larger than what is currently under construction.

How do you measure sq. ft. for Gigabay?  If it has two floors of "office space" at the top, does that triple the sq. ft.?

Good point.