Starbase commissioners vote in favor of major land expansion

The city of Starbase is moving forward with plans to annex 7,133 acres of land surrounding Boca Chica Highway, after officials voted unanimously in favor of the decision on Wednesday. 

That would increase the size of Starbase from about 927 acres to about 8,000 acres this year. 

Much of the land is owned by the state and federal governments as part of the Boca Chica Wildlife Refuge, but SpaceX already owns large swaths within the annexation footprint, along with other private property owners. 

Now the city must notify all property owners about the decision and hold a public hearing. 

It’s unclear whether the city plans to install extensive fences or gates around its proposed new boundaries. Every other developed section of the city has been gated, even shielding public roadways from traffic flows. 

The city is also creating its own police department, which would, in theory, be responsible for the roughly 8,000-acre city’s security system. 

It was not immediately clear whether the city is scrapping plans for its 1,200-acre environmental mitigation bank, intended to offset the destruction caused by the development of the sprawling rocket-launching manufacturing facility, launchpad, commercial buildings, and residential properties built in the past year. It appears that some sections of the land proposed for annexation fall within the previously proposed mitigation zone. 

Right now, several hundred people live inside Starbase city limits; it’s unlikely that population density will increase significantly with the proposed annexation. 

Starbase expects to collect $4.2 million in property taxes this year, its main source of revenue, since it does not levy sales taxes. 

In July 2025, Cameron County estimated the market value of all real property within the city of Starbase at $371 million. When business personal property was included, the total appraised value was $790 million. About $10.4 million of which was exempt through tax abatement, records show.