The plant is called Terafab. SpaceX and Tesla say it will cover more than 100 million square feet, which is over five times the floor space of the largest building standing anywhere on the planet today. Musk, himself, posted on X that “Terafab Texas will be the largest and most valuable building on Earth by far,” adding that “it will be stunningly beautiful.”
The people who live around it, however, are concerned. Marie Egyed, who heads the Grimes County Citizens for Responsible Development, told Realtor.com that a building that size would drag in heavy traffic, create tons of road work, bring in an influx of workers and demand more RV parks and gas stations.
“What about our dreams?” she told Realtor.com. “We saved up our entire lives to buy this property out here to live out in the country.”
## The deal the county made
Commissioners approved the development of the reinvestment zone surrounding the manufacturing facility and a tax abatement in two separate 4-1 votes in June. SpaceX pays no property tax on the site at all with a full 100% abatement. Instead it’ll pay $10 million upfront, then $20 million every year for the next 35 years.
Something similar is also playing out 350 miles south. Dozens of landowners near Starbase sued SpaceX in federal court in April, saying rocket launches cracked their foundations and warped their floors. One woman in Port Isabel was quoted $100,000 for the repairs — more than half what her house is worth. SpaceX hasn’t been found liable, and none of it has been proven in court.
My Gawd it’s terrible what our Trillionaires have to put up with!