Starbase Louisiana: Pecan Island Forum Hears Texas Broker, Kaplan Mayor on SpaceX Project

The Oct. 9 forum

Residents of Pecan Island gathered Friday, Oct. 9, at Pecan Island Methodist Church for a community forum on Starbase Louisiana, the SpaceX launch facility planned at Freshwater City, south of Pecan Island in Vermilion Parish. The forum brought together residents, local officials and real estate professionals to discuss the project's potential economic benefits and challenges (KLFY).

The Advocate previewed the meeting on Oct. 8, reporting that it was a public meeting for homeowners and landowners set for 3 p.m. at the church, 28704 W. LA 82, with Craig Grove, owner of GRT Realty in Brownsville, Texas, and Kaplan Mayor Mike Kloesel as speakers (The Advocate).

What the speakers said

Grove shared his experience watching SpaceX expand its Starbase facility near Boca Chica, Texas. KLFY reported that he said the project could create opportunities for property owners and businesses but warned that economic growth does not always benefit everyone equally. He pointed to increased traffic, greater demand for housing, rising living costs and added pressure on local infrastructure as possible challenges for Pecan Island, and described the arrival of construction workers and rising real estate interest in Texas (KLFY).

Kloesel expressed optimism. "I think not only Vermillion Parish, but all of Acadiana will have the opportunity to benefit from this," he said, according to KLFY. He also said, "Some of the questions were able to be answered. Some of them really no one knows yet" (KLFY).

Residents' concerns

KLFY reported that concerns raised during the forum included property taxes, environmental impacts, agriculture and whether existing roads can handle increased construction traffic. Real estate professionals at the meeting asked how development could affect residents on fixed incomes and those who depend on farming and livestock. One resident told KLFY her family has lived in the community for four generations, is unhappy about the development and worries the area will never be the same (KLFY).

KLFY reported that organizers shared an online community guide prepared by forum organizers and Keaty Real Estate, which the station noted is not an official SpaceX publication (KLFY).

Earlier meeting with SpaceX: Sept. 24

The Oct. 9 forum followed an earlier meeting in which SpaceX representatives met with residents. The Lens, in an Oct. 8 report on a Sept. 24 meeting at the Pecan Island School building, reported that about 150 people attended (The Lens). The Lens's headline frames the meeting as SpaceX admitting 30 launches a day "will block local access."

According to The Lens, Ben Lancaster, SpaceX's senior manager for government affairs in Texas, said the launch exclusion zone would extend three to five miles from the launch site. When a resident said frequent launches would effectively block access to property between the Gulf and the pads, chief engineer Mark Soltys replied, "Correct," The Lens reported (The Lens). Earlier coverage of the same Sept. 24 meeting described temporary travel limits within a roughly three-mile radius during launches, according to The Current as cited by WECU News (WECU News). The two reports differ on the size of the zone.

The Lens reported that SpaceX is leasing about 125,000 acres and would build across about one-third of it, and described Pecan Island as about six miles from the planned launchpads (The Lens).

Residents' "wish list"

Vermilion Today, in an Oct. 7 report on a meeting it described as held "last week" in the historic Pecan Island High School cafeteria, reported that more than 100 residents told SpaceX officials their priorities: a permanent police presence and fire department in the Pecan Island area, and an upgrade to the water system, such as a reverse osmosis unit. Asked whether there would be another meeting in the area, SpaceX officials said yes but gave no timetable, the paper reported. State Sen. Bob Hensgens proposed that SpaceX keep consistent representation at parish public forums, and SpaceX officials agreed, according to Vermilion Today (Vermilion Today). Vermilion Today described Pecan Island as about four miles from the site; The Lens said about six miles from the planned launchpads.

Project background

LED and SpaceX have described a $100 billion project with 3,000 direct jobs at a $92,600 average salary and more than 8,100 indirect jobs, with construction by the end of 2027 and a first launch targeted as soon as 2029. KLFY reported the plans as more than 3,000 direct jobs over 10 years (KLFY).

Independent. Not affiliated with SpaceX, Vermilion Parish, or the State of Louisiana.