Launch Pad Restroom

Space Exploration Technologies completed the construction of the Launch Pad Restroom, a new 880 sq ft facility located at 1 Rocket Road in Brownsville, Texas. This private project was designed to provide employee restrooms, a specific scope of work noted in the original filing. The estimated cost for this compact build was $3,200,000, resulting in a cost per square foot of $3,636. This figure is significantly above the Cameron County median for new construction, which stands at $97 per square foot.

Project Specifications and Funding

The structure was built on private land for private use, funded entirely by the owner. CASA Engineering served as the design firm of record, overseeing the architectural and engineering aspects of the build. The project registered with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) in April 2021, with construction starting in February 2021. The scheduled build window was 292 days, a duration close to the county median of 249 days for similar new construction projects.

TDLR closed the project file in December 2021, which marks the end of the accessibility review process for this construction. This closure indicates that the regulatory requirements for the building’s accessibility features were addressed during the review period. The project is one of several registered by Space Exploration Technologies in the region, including a $23,000,000 storage building in McGregor and a $4,687,813 extension of the Mega Bay in Brownsville.

The location sits in ZIP code 78521, an area with a population of approximately 87,860 according to U.S. Census estimates. The median household income in this area is $41,276, and the median owner-occupied home value is $90,500. While the restroom facility itself is small, its high cost per square foot reflects the specialized nature of the construction and the private funding model used for this specific employee amenity.