San Marcos Eyes Aerospace Ecosystem, Not Spaceport, with TriTexas and Airport Expansion

Helen Ramirez, economic development director for the City of San Marcos, joins host Justin McKenzie on The Building Texas Show to discuss the city's major active projects, including the purchase of nearly 200 acres from the U.S. Department of Labor to extend the San Marcos Regional Airport runway, the 2,000-acre TriTexas mega site, and the aerospace, defense, and manufacturing companies moving into the college town between Austin and San Antonio. The episode, titled “San Marcos Spaceport? Here's What's Coming,” highlights four key threads: TriTexas, a rail-served site with regional detention and utilities already built; the airport, which is funded by FAA and Texas Aviation grants and hosts 18-plus tenants, including Berry Aviation, now owned by publicly traded Bristow Group (NYSE: VTOL); Star Park, Texas State's incubator that houses the Innovation Corridor Defense Accelerator, run with Starburst Aerospace and the Hays Caldwell Economic Development Partnership; and the Midway Hotel, a 130-key boutique hotel coming downtown with a minimum-wage requirement tied to inflation written into the incentive deal.

Ramirez reframes the spaceport question, emphasizing that San Marcos is not chasing a launch pad but rather the intelligence of creating a space ecosystem. “We are looking at that future of space. It is not necessarily launching rockets,” she says. “You can have it in Starbase, SpaceX, but that's not what we're looking for. But we can be part of the intelligence of creating that ecosystem.” Her reference point is Hawthorne, California—home to Raytheon, Boeing, and Northrop Grumman—and she believes Central Texas can build that side of aerospace. The numbers support her pitch: a survey sent to 98 companies found more than 90% stable or growing and about 40% actively expanding. Epic Piping is adding 100 employees, Amazon keeps growing, Collins Aerospace reports better business here, Nabaco operates in Spain while hiring Texas State grad students, and US Aviation trains active-duty Air Force cadets. Texas State is also adding a hospitality program tied to the hotel deal. The city's efficiency is exemplified by Ramirez's staff having direct access to permitting software, allowing Texas Building Supply—on track for roughly $40 million a year in sales tax with no incentive package—to get permit questions answered in real time.

The Building Texas Show, hosted by Justin McKenzie, features one conversation per episode with a developer, manufacturer, city official, or university partner building something exciting in Texas. The full episode with Helen Ramirez is available on YouTube at youtube.com/@thebuildingtexasshow. Media contact is Justin McKenzie via Email Contact.