The neighbors of Elon Musk’s new “utopian” city appear to have lost patience with the SpaceX and Boring mogul as local authorities slapped Musk with a string of infractions.
In March, showed a first look at Snailbrook, the Texas utopia Elon Musk is creating for his SpaceX and Boring employees, but not everyone seems excited about the project.
Residents of Bastrop County — where Snailbrook is being built — are fed up with the impact construction is having on local livestock and the companies trying to dump sewage into the Colorado River.
“I just don’t think the leadership there values the environment and these shared resources,” says Chap Ambrose, a YouTuber and former self-confessed Musk fan who has raised the alarm about his development efforts.
“I would say I’m still a fan.” [of Elon]”But I want him to be better here and be a good neighbor,” added Ambrose, who has released a series of videos titled “Keep Bastrop Boring.”
Musk has not yet commented on allegations by Ambrose or others regarding the construction work.
The neighbors of Elon Musk’s new “utopian” city appear to have lost patience with the SpaceX and Boring mogul as local authorities slapped Musk with a string of infractions
Ambrose’s videos include footage of squads tearing down trees and pumping untreated water into a ditch.
Musk has begun spending billions to build campuses for SpaceX and Boring Company across the Lone Star State with the co-signing of Republican Gov. Greg Abbott.
“There is no greater entrepreneur in the world than Elon Musk,” Abbott said in early May.
Despite widespread support for Musk and the jobs and industry he’s bringing to Texas, many say he’s just moving too fast.
Ambrose and his wife have found that construction work is often 24-hour, noisy, and floodlights are on all night.
The FAA suspended SpaceX’s launch program after a rocket exploded over the Gulf of Mexico, citing the need to “conduct analysis to ensure the public is not exposed to unacceptable risks.”
The US Fish and Wildlife Service reported “numerous large chunks of concrete, stainless steel sheets, metal and other objects” and a cloud of concrete flying over the area.
Wildlife groups have also filed a lawsuit against the FAA, citing the environmental damage the launch caused to the area.
“I just don’t think the leadership there values the environment and these shared resources,” says Chap Ambrose, a YouTuber and former self-confessed Musk fan who has raised the alarm about his development efforts
Residents of Bastrop County — where Snailbrook is being built — are fed up with the impact Musk’s build is having on local livestock and the companies trying to dump sewage into the Colorado River
The Boring Company is Musk’s tunneling company that he plans to use to develop transportation networks among American cities
There are several three-bedroom apartments in Snailbrook that Musk plans to rent out to his employees for $800 a month, which is a very competitive price for the area
Local officials had their own grievances, with the former Bastrop County director of engineering and development saying they were “regularly hounded by Boring Company employees,” according to the Washington Post.
He argued that they were constantly trying to “expedite and approve permit requests that are incomplete and non-compliant.”
The Texas Department of Transportation has convicted Boring of violations for building an unauthorized driveway and possessing unauthorized holding tanks for sewage.
However, there’s not really much the county and state can do about it, says Bastrop Commissioner Mel Hamner.
“This is Texas. “It’s called property rights,” Hamner said. “If you own the property and you comply with state laws, you can essentially do whatever you want.”
Hamner has admitted that Musk’s development is “more than this county could handle,” and environmentally conscious residents agree.
“Between Elon Musk coming in here and all the sand and gravel mines … this idyllic, pastoral, prime farmland is now suddenly a 1,000-acre industrial estate,” said local organic farmer Skip Connett.
“There are no zoning, there are no rules. It’s the Wild West.”
Musk has begun spending billions to build campuses for SpaceX and Boring Company across the Lone Star State with the co-signing of Republican Gov. Greg Abbott
Another gigantic headquarters in Snailbrook is expected to be used for SpaceX. Musk has consulted his ex-girlfriend and Kanye West – whose own community plans have failed – about his project
Musk is said to have planned to build 110 houses on the site, as well as warehouses or factories for two of his companies
The most recent criticism has been Boring’s request to treat its own wastewater from the construction site and discharge it either onto its own land or into the Colorado River.
Several hundred people showed up for a meeting requested by Ambrose, Boring only sent an environmental consultant.
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has already granted a tentative permit, but Bastrop City Mayor Connie Schroeder wants them to use the city’s new power plant.
“We all know that’s what’s best for Colorado.” [River]’ said Schroeder.
Boring’s environmental team said they would eventually use the city’s power plant, but are not yet hooked up to it.
Judah Ross, a local real estate agent who attended the meeting, said the company was “evasive” and he had a simple request for Musk, which he appreciates very much.
“I love Elon and we need more industry here,” Ross said. “I just don’t want him throwing his poop in the river.”
In February it was revealed that top executives at Boring Co., Musk’s tunneling company, had been discussing incorporating their own town into Bastrop County.
Not only could Musk provide his employees with cheap housing, but it would also allow the magnate to legislate and help grease the wheels of his ambitious construction projects.
His Austin-area employees, including employees from Boring, electric-car maker Tesla, and its space exploration company SpaceX, would ideally all live in the brand-new homes, which sit on thousands of acres of farmland along the Colorado River.
Sources told the Wall Street Journal that Musk, his ex-girlfriend Grimes, Kanye West and the rapper’s architect have discussed the city’s design on numerous occasions over the past year.
Children’s slides and trampolines are in the backyards of some houses that share a covered parking lot. The community is surrounded by a wire fence
Signs hang in the parish indicating that the city was founded in 2021. That same year, Musk left California and moved to Texas to protest taxes and labor costs
Bastrop County has yet to receive a city-incorporation application from Musk. This would require at least 201 residents and the approval of a county judge.
Musk opened his new Tesla factory, dubbed Giga Texas, in April last year. Spread over 2,500 acres in Travis County outside of Austin, the sprawling facility is considered the production center for the Model Y and the future home of the Cybertruck.
In neighboring Bastrop County, its tunneling company Boring is building a new warehouse, while SpaceX is building a 12-acre facility. Snailbrook’s proposed “utopia” for its employees is just half a mile up the road.
Snailbrook takes its name from Boring’s mascot, a snail named Gary – a reference to the cartoon character SpongeBob of the same name.
Photos uploaded to Facebook by locals show hanging signs that read ‘Welcome.’ Snailbrook, TX Estimated 2021.’
The site already includes a number of mobile homes, a pool, an outdoor recreation area and a gym.
The community pool and athletic field in Snailbrook where residents and their families can relax. There is also a small putting green and a play area
While putting down roots in Texas, Musk has agreed to move Tesla’s headquarters back to California.
Musk, 51, relocated Tesla to Austin, Texas in the fall of 2021 over tax breaks, cheaper labor costs and a dispute between him and local health officials.
The question remains how Gov. Gavin Newsom managed to lure the automaker back to California, a state he has vocally criticized since leaving.
He called it a haven of over-regulation and over-taxation and accused the government of complacency.