By LYNETTE HAALAND, Four Points News

Hill Country Bible Church will break ground soon on its new, 25,000-square-foot campus in Steiner Ranch, which it plans to open by fall 2019.

HCBC Steiner is hoping to get the site permit any day now and then break ground within the next 50 days at its 30-acre site near the 4300 block of North Quinlan Park Road. Construction will take place over 10 to 12 months after groundbreaking, and the church will cost around $8 million to build.

“We’re honored and grateful for this opportunity to impact hundreds if not thousands,” said Josh Howard, HCBC Steiner campus pastor for nearly four years. “God has just opened up so many doors. We want to make sure we make the most of this opportunity.”

In 2015, HCBC purchased over 30 acres of land to build its campus. It will build on 8 acres and the rest will remain wooded and naturally landscaped.

“We were fortunate enough to purchase some of the last available land,” said Howard, who lives in Steiner with his wife, Christy, and their three children Calli, Addi and Titus.

This spring, HCBC Steiner started clearing the land for its permanent Steiner location which is near Quinlan Crossing shopping center and Tacara apartments.  

The local campus got its start from a group of about 75 people living in Steiner who attended HCBC’s Lakeline campus. They wanted to have a church located in the heart of Steiner to focus on and serve the local community.  

For nearly a decade now, HCBC Steiner members and guests have been gathering weekly at Laura W. Bush Elementary. A few years ago, the church rented office space at 2900 N Quinlan Park Rd., near Cups & Cones.

Today HCBC Steiner has grown to between 200 – 300 members and between 400 – 500 attendees each weekend.

“With the growth, it brought a number of space challenges so we began to explore building a permanent space that would be available for our community seven days a week,” Howard said.

“As we build the new facility, our plans will be a building that is in harmony with the natural beauty we all enjoy,” Howard said. Plans call for a Hill Country look of natural stone and a low, one-story profile.

HCBC Steiner also has started working with a landscape design engineer who is helping the church replant vegetation that mirrors the community

Howard also said that they have studied traffic patterns related to the site and anticipate that the traffic will only spike for between 5 and 10 minutes, a few times each weekend as church-goers leave the campus.

“At this point, we do not see it causing much of a delay to residents, but we are prepared to work with the Travis County Sheriff’s office to help make sure the flow up and down Quinlan Park continues to move,” Howard said.

HCBC Steiner space will also be available for the broader community with a number of state of the art meeting spaces.

“We want to be a church that is for the entire community whether they attend church with us or not,” Howard said.

The church will offer events and programs for people of all walks of life, including children, to grow and thrive. There will be a playground, hike and bike trails, incredible Lake Travis views and maybe even disc golf, he added.

“We want to be a resource to families in whatever way possible,” Howard said.  

HCBC Steiner held Easter services at the site on April 1 and plans to have more fun events throughout this next year at the site.

Until the new building is done, the church will continue to do business as usual with hosting smaller events including Bible studies at its offices, and the monthly men’s event called Houseboat at the Steiner Lake Club.

“As we wait, we are not slowing down but ramping up our investment in this awesome community,” Howard said.