SpaceX quietly secured zoning approval for a new nearly 34-acre heavy industrial site along Boca Chica Highway

Space Exploration Technologies Corp. recently secured approval for a new 33.9-acre heavy industrial development along Boca Chica Highway inside the city of Starbase on the south side, closer to the Rio Grande River, according to records obtained by the Rio Grande Valley Business Journal through a Public Information Act request. 

It’s unclear whether the city of Starbase notified property owners within 200 feet, published any public notice of the zoning decision, or held a public hearing with the applicant identified, because the available documentation does not match. 

A copy of the letter the city claims it submitted to nearby property owners on May 9 notified them of a public hearing on May 28 and was published in the city’s newspaper of record, but it does not appear in the state-required public notice search engine nor any Cameron County newspapers. In fact, there is no record of any public notice for such an application anywhere available online. 

There was a meeting hosted by the city of Starbase on that day, but the SpaceX industrial rezoning was not discussed nor identified on any public records.