SpaceX project at Gibbons Creek Reservoir draws crowd to Grimes County commissioners meeting. Residents share hopes and concerns about the proposed $119B project.
Watch the full story here:
Dozens of Grimes County residents turned out Wednesday to tell county commissioners what they think about a proposed $119 billion SpaceX project possibly coming to the Gibbons Creek Reservoir area. Commissioners Court will hold a public hearing on June 3 to consider potential tax breaks for the project.
Joseph Reznicek, a local resident, said he is hopeful about what the project could mean for the region.
"Hopefully, this will be, uh, a godsend for the county and, and do something for the state and for the rest of the nation if it comes to fruition and it gets built."
But Reznicek also acknowledged that uncertainty remains.
"So right now, there's just, there's a lot of unanswered questions. There's a lot of just rumor and people start filling in the blanks, and that doesn't do anybody good."
Local pastor Max Brand said public sentiment appears to be shifting in a positive direction as more details emerge.
"Now that more information gets out there, people are being happier and being encouraged by what they're hearing."
Some residents believe a tax abatement could be used as a tool to secure broader benefits for the county.
Marie Egyed, a local resident, said she supports the concept under the right conditions.
"I'm not against tax abatements. Tax abatements are the one thing that we have to use to have any kind of negotiating power at the table."
Fellow resident Susan Patrick said the project should deliver tangible financial relief and employment opportunities for the community.
"It should reduce our taxes for sure. It should bring lots of jobs eventually over, over the next 4 or 5 years."
But Egyed cautioned that the county must carefully vet any incentive agreement before moving forward.
"We need to follow our county's own criteria regarding tax abatements and make sure that we are not offering incentives to companies who might pose a danger to the health and safety of our citizens."
Brand said Gibbons Creek is the right location for a project of this scale, pointing to both land use limitations and water availability.
"You can't use that for residential or farming or anything, but industrial, so it's a perfect location. And the calculations that I've heard today, Gibbons Creek will supply sufficient water for this project."
We will continue to follow this story as the project moves forward.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the
assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
