TPWD to consider land swap with SpaceX at Boca Chica

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The tracts in green show the land that the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department would provide to SpaceX in proposed land swap. The land in orange is Boca Chica State Park. (Courtesy: TPWD)

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Commission on Jan. 25 will consider exchanging 43 acres of Boca Chica State Park for 477 acres of land on Highway 100 between Laguna Vista and Laguna Heights from SpaceX.

SpaceX requested the transfer as it desires to expand its operational footprint around its launch facilities at Boca Chica.

The land SpaceX would provide in the exchange is owned by a company called Bahia Grande Holdings, according to Cameron County Appraisal District records.

Those records match up with a map of the exchange on the TPWD Commission agenda.

The tracts in yellow show the land SpaceX would provide the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department in a proposed land swap. (Courtesy: TPWD)

The connection between SpaceX and Bahia Grande Holdings wasn’t immediately clear.

The proposed exchange from TPWD is in the Boca Chica Village area and adjacent to the west side of the launch pad.

The TPWD Commission said the “acquisition will provide increased public recreational opportunities including hiking, camping, water recreation, and wildlife viewing, and allow for greater conservation of sensitive habitats for wintering and migratory birds. Additionally, this land is within the broader conservation landscape of the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas.”

The state agency is taking public feedback until Jan. 24 via email to Trey Vick, TPWD project manager, at [email protected] or through the TPWD website. Feedback can also be mailed to Trey Vick at 4200 Smith School Road in Austin. The zip code is 78744.

A general map showing the areas of a proposed land swap between the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and SpaceX. (Courtesy: TPWD)