SpaceX Confirms Talks to Buy 1,200 Acres of Texas Parkland

By Daniel Okafor

SpaceX confirmed Friday that it has discussed buying 1,200 acres of public parkland near its South Texas rocket facility — and says it will preserve half of it as coastal habitat while ruling out any purchase of Boca Chica Beach.

The company's statement is its first detailed response to reports that Texas Parks and Wildlife officials had planned to discuss ceding control of Boca Chica State Park to a company owned by Elon Musk, the world's richest man.

What exactly is SpaceX proposing?

The proposal covers roughly 1,200 acres surrounding the Starbase launch facility. SpaceX says the land consists largely of mudflats and coastal dunes that people do not use, not the beach itself.

"Our discussions have centered on land immediately adjacent to an active rocket launch facility, does not include the Texas coastline, and would create more recreational opportunities for Texans," the company wrote.

The clarification came a day earlier from the city of Starbase. City Administrator Cayetana Polanco said the proposed transaction concerns land around the launch facility, not the shoreline.

"First, to be absolutely clear, nobody is buying or selling Boca Chica Beach," Polanco said in a statement.

How did the potential sale surface?

Texas Parks and Wildlife, the state agency that manages parks, had been in talks to give up control of 1,300 acres in Cameron County, according to a draft agenda for a Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission meeting scheduled for early November.

The draft agenda referenced the "disposition" of the land — a term that can mean a sale, trade, transfer or other relinquishment of ownership. County appraisal district records indicate the 1,300 acres are Boca Chica State Park, one of the largest tracts Texas Parks and Wildlife owns in Cameron County.

The finalized agenda dropped the item. It remains unclear whether the commission will consider the transaction later. The agency has stayed silent and is trying to block public release of the draft agenda.

Gov.-elect Gina Hinojosa, who defeated Gov. Greg Abbott in November's elections, criticized the potential sale. She said she asked the agency's executive director that "no action be taken" during her transition.

What did Texas Parks and Wildlife say?

Justin Minsker, a spokesperson for the agency, declined an interview but said it looked forward to working with Hinojosa and all elected officials.

"We are not at liberty to discuss real estate transactions before they have been vetted by the TPW Commission," Minsker said Friday after SpaceX commented. "Our Commission did not address this item at our November meeting. TPWD has an obligation to appropriately steward and conserve public lands for the benefit and enjoyment of current and future generations of Texans."

SpaceX said it has found people entering Texas Parks and Wildlife-managed land without authorization, including areas with sensitive coastal dunes.

"An active launch facility has many complex and potentially hazardous operations taking place every day and allowing unrestricted access to the immediately adjacent area creates unnecessary risks," the company wrote.

The company said it intends to preserve 600 acres of coastal habitat. It also cited beach clean-up work with the city of Starbase, saying it removes over 50 tons of trash weekly, has invested in erosion protection and supports sea turtle rescue programs.

Why are environmentalists skeptical?

Bekah Hinojosa, co-founder of the South Texas Environmental Justice Network, called SpaceX's statement "absolutely ludicrous." Buying land around the beach would still make access harder, she said, and the company has already shown it cannot be trusted.

"SpaceX is actively destroying and polluting Boca Chica Beach," she said. "I've seen it with my own eyes. I've seen SpaceX rocket debris blown up on pristine habitat. … SpaceX is an environmental disaster for our region."

Luke Metzger, executive director of Environment Texas, called the beach assurances a "red herring" that distracts from the core issue: selling 1,200 acres of public land to a private entity.

Under Texas' Open Beaches Act, state-owned Gulf Coast beaches are protected for public use, and SpaceX cannot simply buy Boca Chica Beach and turn it into private property, Metzger said. He noted the company's track record at the park.

"Its rocket launches have scattered debris across sensitive wildlife habitat, sparked fires in Boca Chica State Park and resulted in violations of clean water laws," he said in a statement. "Texans have good reason to be skeptical of the company's promises to protect this land."

What is the $24 billion data center project?

SpaceX rarely discusses its plans with the media. But on Thursday, after news broke of a $24 billion data center facility near the Port of Brownsville, the company released details in a news release.

The facility includes a gas-fired power plant and a super-computing campus. SpaceX said it will train intelligence systems for medical research, emergency response, advanced manufacturing and national security. The site will also develop and test technologies for space-based computing.

Construction is already underway. The project has created more than 3,000 construction jobs and is expected to add more than 500 permanent jobs once operational, the company said.

The city of Starbase posted notice of a December public hearing on a potential tax abatement agreement for the project. SpaceX is also seeking a tax break from the county; those details remain private.

The de-annexation deal with Brownsville adds a concrete price tag. In exchange for removing the land from Brownsville's city limits, SpaceX agreed to fund $220 million for Brownsville water and wastewater projects. Brownsville commissioners adopted a temporary data center moratorium last week.

The facility sidesteps a statewide constraint. Gov. Greg Abbott ordered a pause on data center connections to the electric grid, but SpaceX confirmed its plant will generate its own power, bypassing the Texas public grid. During her campaign, Hinojosa said she would go further and ban all data center approvals until lawmakers pass laws "to protect Texans."

What happens next at Starbase?

Launch activity is set to grow sharply. SpaceX proposes raising rocket launches and landings at Starbase from 25 per year to 100, and eventually to 456. The Federal Aviation Administration is evaluating the request.

The city of Starbase is largely inhabited by SpaceX employees, and two of three city commissioners work for the company. Boca Chica Village, the city's largest residential neighborhood, has closed its streets to the public. City officials have declined interviews.

Polanco defended the community's record, citing weekly cleanups, Fourth of July events and sea turtle conservation. The city is also addressing beach erosion through a rehabilitation initiative with the Texas General Land Office.

"Nobody has done more to restore the beach than the people of Starbase," Polanco said. She added that the city looks forward to working with Hinojosa and would "welcome her to Starbase" to see the work firsthand.

With the FAA review pending, a skeptical governor-elect taking office and the parks commission's decision deferred, the fate of the 1,200 acres now rests with regulators and the incoming administration rather than with SpaceX's assurances.