Starr County approves reinvestment zones to clear way for three solar and battery projects

Starr County commissioners on June 23 voted to create or renew reinvestment zones that make three renewable-energy projects eligible to negotiate tax abatement agreements under Chapter 312 of the Texas Tax Code.

County staff said the approvals clear the procedural step that allows the county to enter abatement talks but do not themselves grant a tax abatement. "What this will do is this will allow us to establish an reinvestment zone, which really gives the commissioner's court authority to enter into abatement agreements in that certain area," said Rose Benavides, a county staff member, as she summarized the statutory requirement.

The items approved were: designation of Reinvestment Zone No. 1 for Mandolin Solar Project LLC; renewal of the Star Solar Rush Reinvestment Zone No. 1; and a resolution making Falcon Lake Storage LLC eligible to pursue an abatement. Commissioners approved the motions by voice vote. Commissioner Perez moved the abatement-eligibility items, and Commissioner Velasquez seconded; the court recorded unanimous "aye" votes on each item.

Mandolin Solar Project LLC — described by county staff during a public hearing as being "about 300 megawatts in size" with an estimated project value of about $37,000,000 — is planned on just over 2,200 acres north of Loma Blanca and Sanchez Road in the Roma area. County staff said the developer expects to begin construction in the first quarter of 2026 and anticipates an operational life of about 25 years. The project will include solar arrays and battery storage in phased builds.

Star Solar Rush (renewal) was described as a battery-heavy solar project of nearly 800 acres on the west side of the county, also near Loma Blanca Road. County staff said the previously approved reinvestment zone had expired (reinvestment zones typically lapse after five years), so the court authorized renewal so abatement discussions may continue. Staff said construction for that phase of the project is anticipated in September or October of 2025 and that similar projects generate relatively few permanent jobs but can create roughly 200–400 temporary construction jobs.

Falcon Lake Storage LLC was made eligible by a separate court resolution; county staff said it is a solar and battery storage project projected for the Loma Blanca area.

County staff and commissioners discussed ancillary requirements developers have accepted in other projects, including road-use agreements and requirements that contractors restore or improve county roads used during construction. "One of the things we've talked very candidly about with them is the road use agreements ... the expectation now isn't anymore that they leave it the way they found it, but that actually they make it better," Benavides said during the public hearing summary.

The approvals recorded on June 23 are procedural legal steps under Chapter 312 that allow the county and developers to begin negotiating specific abatement terms; no final tax abatements or agreements were adopted at the meeting.

The court opened a public hearing on the reinvestment-zone proposals and closed it before returning to regular business; the hearing itself required no formal vote. The court then took the separate, required formal votes to adopt resolutions and to make the projects eligible for abatement discussions.

County staff indicated they will bring the formal abatement agreements back to the commissioners for approval if and when the parties reach negotiated terms. Commissioners and staff said they plan to include standard conditions such as recorded road-use agreements and tracking of investment and temporary job creation during construction.