Starbase cancels meeting to consider annexing 444 acres relinquished by Brownsville

Starbase canceled a special City Commission meeting Wednesday where commissioners were scheduled to consider annexing roughly 444 acres that Brownsville recently relinquished at SpaceX’s request.

A notice posted at Starbase City Hall said Wednesday’s special meeting was canceled. The notice did not provide a reason, and it was not immediately clear when the annexation proposal would return for consideration.

The meeting would have marked the next step in a land deal approved by Brownsville commissioners Aug. 29.

Brownsville unanimously agreed to remove approximately 444 acres from its jurisdiction as part of an agreement with SpaceX. 

The company wanted the property removed from Brownsville with the intention of later having it annexed into Starbase. SpaceX plans to keep another section of property within Brownsville — extending south of Boca Chica Boulevard toward the Rio Grande — where officials said an industrial park for SpaceX vendors could eventually be developed.

During the Aug. 29 Brownsville meeting, SpaceX Vice President of Starship Legal and Regulatory Sheila McCorkle said the 444-acre property is located between the Brownsville landfill, the Port of Brownsville and other industrial activity. She said SpaceX has operations planned for the area that could take advantage of the Brownsville Ship Channel and port operations.

Exactly what SpaceX intends to develop on the property remains unclear.

Part of Brownsville’s $220 million SpaceX deal

Brownsville’s decision to give up jurisdiction over the land was tied to a separate agreement under which SpaceX agreed to provide up to $220 million for major regional water and wastewater projects.

The agreements, collectively referred to as Project Quantum, were approved after a contentious six-hour special meeting that included opposition from residents concerned about the speed and transparency of the process.

SpaceX is expected to provide an initial $40 million followed by six $30 million installments. The money is intended to help fund water projects Brownsville had already been planning, including wastewater reuse and expansion of the Southmost Regional Water Authority’s brackish groundwater desalination system. 

The agreement continued to draw debate after its approval. Business and economic development leaders subsequently defended the investment as a way to expand Brownsville’s water capacity without placing the entire cost on local ratepayers, while opponents continued criticizing the process used to approve the deal.

The two water projects discussed as part of the agreement could ultimately add as much as 28 million gallons per day of capacity, compared with Brownsville’s current use of about 21 million gallons per day. SpaceX expects to eventually require about 2 million gallons per day.