Mission Waco Creekside Community Village - OUTDOOR KITCHEN

Mission Waco filed for a new 392-square-foot outdoor kitchen building at 3810 S. University Parks Drive in Waco. The project, listed on the filing as Mission Waco Creekside Community Village - OUTDOOR KITCHEN, is a new construction effort with an estimated cost of $140,000. This structure is designed to include a patio and covered area, serving as a functional addition to the community village infrastructure. The project involves public funds, public land, or is a Federally funded roadway project, indicating a significant public interest component in its development and oversight.

Project Scope and Design

The design firm of record is L. M. Holder III, FAIA, a name that appears in several other TDLR-registered projects across Waco and Waelder. Robin Roberts is the registered accessibility specialist for this filing. The construction window is scheduled to run from January 2025 through December 2025. While the scheduled completion date has passed, the TDLR status remains Review Complete. It is important to note that TDLR has not yet recorded a final inspection, so the current state of the site is not confirmed in the public record. The project is part of a broader portfolio for Mission Waco, which has five other TDLR-registered projects totaling $3,885,000 in Waco, including a Welcome Home Center and a Maintenance Building.

Financially, the $140,000 estimate places this project in the bottom quarter of costs for new construction filings in McLennan County, where the median estimated cost is $977,500. The size of 392 square feet is also significantly smaller than the county median of 7,617 square feet. However, the cost per square foot is $357, which is above the county median of $145 per square foot. The scheduled build window of 350 days is longer than the county median of 245 days. These metrics suggest a focused, high-value per-square-foot investment in a specific amenity rather than a large-scale commercial development. The area surrounding the project, ZIP code 76706, has a population of about 40,668 and a median household income of $42,277, according to U.S. Census ACS 2023 five-year estimates.

Mission Waco’s involvement in this project aligns with its other registered works, such as the Bath House and Convenience Store, both of which are also in Waco and have completed plan review. The design firm, L. M. Holder III, FAIA, has also worked on a Cafeteria in Waelder with an inspection complete status. The presence of other registered projects in the immediate area, including student housing and university renovations, indicates a hub of activity in the Waco university district. The project’s registration with TDLR in December 2024 and the completion of plan review in the same month show a prompt administrative process before the scheduled start in January 2025. The use of public funds or land underscores the community-oriented nature of the outdoor kitchen and its associated patio space.