Elon Musk’s ‘Starbase’ dream takes wings: Billionaire seeks to construct what no tech tycoon has performed earlier than – a novel city

Elon Musk is trying one thing few others have in fashionable historical past: The creation of his personal firm city. Musk, already a strong determine in Texas via his corporations like SpaceX, is now taking steps in the direction of establishing a neighborhood referred to as “Starbase”, which will likely be situated close to SpaceX’s rocket launch website in Boca Chica, Texas, The New York Occasions has reported.

Musk has been enthusiastic about the potential of creating a brand new city for a few years and is now eager on turning the dream right into a actuality.

In December, a number of SpaceX workers filed a petition to include Starbase, looking for approval from Cameron County officers, the NYT report mentioned.

The petition mentions constructing a neighborhood of about 500 residents, most of whom are SpaceX workers dwelling in company-owned houses. The proposed city would span roughly 1.5 sq. miles, an space barely bigger than New York’s Central Park however nonetheless small by Texas requirements.

One key characteristic of the petition is a proposal to elect a slate of officers, together with town’s first mayor.

In response to the petition, the mayor can be SpaceX’s safety supervisor, Gunnar Milburn.

Alan Bojorquez, a Texas lawyer with expertise in serving to communities incorporate, said that he had by no means seen an organization push so actively for the creation of a city by its workers. “This can be a very distinctive state of affairs,” he mentioned.

The petition additionally lays the groundwork for the potential of Starbase to create its personal native providers, similar to police and hearth departments, and handle utilities and different civil capabilities. Whereas the city wouldn’t be obligated to instantly provide these providers, incorporation would permit Starbase to qualify for state and federal grants and achieve sure authorized protections.

Kathryn Lueders, SpaceX’s basic supervisor for Starbase, defined in a letter that incorporation would assist higher handle the neighborhood’s wants. She famous that SpaceX at present oversees many capabilities within the space, together with offering medical care, training, and managing utilities. Lueders added that shifting these capabilities to a “extra applicable public physique” would assist the neighborhood develop in a extra organized method.

Notably, the thought of making a company-run city in Texas isn’t fully new.

The NYT report mentioned that the founding father of the Texas Renaissance Pageant established a city in Todd Mission (Texas) and have become its mayor. Nevertheless, Musk’s initiative has garnered important consideration because of the scale of SpaceX and its rising presence within the area.

The petition is now awaiting approval from Cameron County earlier than an election can happen. If the proposal strikes ahead, residents of Starbase might vote on the creation of their new city as early as subsequent 12 months.