Film studio coming to San Marcos after securing zoning and annexation approvals

KVUE
Author: Johann Castro
Published: 3:50 PM CDT August 3, 2023

AUSTIN, Texas — Construction on a proposed film studio in San Marcos is moving forward after the group behind the project secured zoning and annexation approvals earlier this week.

According to a report from the Austin Business Journal (ABJ), Hill Country Group LLC - the parent company behind the project - received a second and final approval from the San Marcos City Council to annex pieces of what's slated to become the $267 million Hill Country Studios project, which will be located on 209 acres at 6202 W. Centerpoint Road, in the La Cima master-planned community.

The new permissions secured for the notable project represent a milestone in its development. The studio could eventually provide more than 800,000 square feet of facilities once it's fully built, including 12 purpose-built sound stages, four workshops and more than 200,000 square feet of production office space.

Plans for Hill Country Studios that had been previously released call for the studio to rise on 75 acres of a 209-acre plot in three phases:

• Phase 1A would include seven production stages, two workshops and a welcome center
• Phase 1B would include 250,000 square feet of office space
• Phase 2 would include five additional stages, two workshops and support space

Overall, the project is set to include 12 sound stages across 310,000 square feet, two back lots totaling 15 acres of outdoor production space, 310,000 square feet of modular offices and four workshops. A total of 25 acres will be reserved for vendor and commercial space.

Buildout could total 820,000 square feet, which equals nearly the size of a regional mall.

Full-time employment is expected to be at least 44 with an average salary of $100,000 annually. Additionally, the studio's proponents estimated it would average around 1,200 contract workers when projects are filmed on location, with an average salary of $80,000. Hill Country Group has also committed to creating an internship program for students.

The studio is slated to break ground later this year.