The Austin Stone Community Church

As we have continued to develop how the building concepts would reflect and enable the non-profit partnerships that are critical to our vision, some great changes have been made in the site plan (how the buildings will be laid out on the land).

 

One of the main things I communicated to our design team was how the success of the non-profit center would be critical to the success of this project. Since we have learned that many non-profit clients are deterred by having to come in to a “church” facility, we strove to create a more logical separation between church facilities and non-profit facilities on the site while still maintaining good access between the two. When combined with the city's commercial design standards, this resulted in a 'main intersection' as you come in from St. John's Avenue where the 'church' buildings are to the right, and the non-profit center will be to the left.

 

In the new concept, we also make better use of the site's natural features. With these changes, we increase the efficiency of the site footprint and parking, work better with the natural topography of the land, save cost and better incorporate the land's natural beauty. The existing natural space around the oak grove is amazing. There is one live oak that has a 60-inch diameter! These trees are beautiful and create a great natural setting that can't be built with man-made materials.

 

We're excited about the direction of our current concepts, as they bring us even more closely in line with what we desire to accomplish through the use of these facilities for us and for others. A few refinements are still in the works so there may still be some additional changes, but for now check out the new layout below [learn more about the project design and the site plan].

 

It's been a ride but we're still on track for closing by the end of the year. If you're not in the real estate business, you wouldn't believe the work that goes into buying a piece of property. Praise God for supplying so much expertise and wisdom on our project team. Through due diligence, environmental assessments, surveys, everything that goes into selecting and negotiating and securing a loan, working out contracts and amendments to contracts; it's a complex process. Over the past several months, our team has worked together closely to get to this point. Thank you!!

As the site plan and some of the high-level building design features begin to take shape, it's exciting to see how a physical building could embody and better-enable the pursuit of our church's vision in consistency with our culture and values. Here's the most recent perspective view of the three phase one buildings – the Auditorium in the background, the children's area in the foreground, and the non-profit/training space on the right. Outdoor spaces surround each building to create an open and comfortable environment to engage the church as well as the community. The 'look and feel' will promise to fit our straight-forward, no-frills culture. 

 

Read much more and see a master plan for the site on the Project Overview page. 

 

As many of you prayerfully consider what God would have you give towards the Building Project, we wanted to let you know that you can now complete your commitment card online as an alternative to filling out a physical card. The online giving site also allows you to setup one-time and recurring EFTs and is designed to help you manage your giving over the next 3 years. Online giving is available at austinstone.org/give.