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BROWNSVILLE, Texas - Nathan Burkhart, director of small business development at the Brownsville Community Improvement Corporation, says exciting things are happening to his city\u2019s downtown.

\u201cOur big 2.0 grant just wrapped up its third round of funding. We have had about $18 million in private capital roll into downtown just from that grant. It was created with a generous donation from the Elon Musk Foundation,\u201d Burkhart said.

\u201cWith that $2 million we have been able to attract, as I said, over $18 million into downtown. We are revitalizing a number of buildings along Washington Street and Elizabeth. We hope that this can be a catalyst for more improvement and growth going into downtown. I can assure you that in the next three years downtown Brownsville is going to look completely different.\u201d

Burkhart made his comments in an exclusive podcast with the Rio Grande Guardian International News Service. He said it is most fortunate the Elon Musk Foundation wanted to see the same things happening to downtown Brownsville as BCIC.

\u201cWhich is more density into downtown, our historic buildings refurbished,\u201d Burkhart said. Asked why Musk wants to see this, Burkhart said SpaceX plans to bring in an additional 1,500 workers, to go with the 2,000 currently preparing for rocket launches at Boca Chica.\xa0

Burkhart said it is likely that most of the SpaceX workers will live in Brownsville.

\u201cMillennials, Gen. Z, they want a walkable, livable downtown area. The cities they are coming from, they want the same facilities they have been used to, in Brownsville,\u201d Burkhart explained.

\u201cFor their people to be happy they need the same quality of life aspects they have received in other cities, down here in Brownsville.\u201d

Editor's Note: To read the full story go to the Rio Grande Guardian International News Service website.\xa0

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