Pioneer Drive Baptist Church New Worship Building in Abilene, TX

Pioneer Drive Baptist Church is constructing a new 2-story steel structure worship center addition at 701 S Pioneer Dr in Abilene. The project, filed with TDLR in March 2025, involves adding 38,400 square feet to the existing church campus. The estimated cost for this privately funded work is $13,750,000, which calculates to $358 per square foot. Construction is scheduled to begin in October 2025 and is scheduled to finish in March 2027.

The scope of work describes a new 2-story steel structure worship center addition to an existing church campus. Mark W. Todd Architects serves as the design firm of record for this project. Tim Mullins is the registered accessibility specialist listed in the filing. The work is classified as additions to an existing building rather than new construction on a vacant lot. This distinction places the project within a specific category of Taylor County construction activity.

Project Scale and County Context

At $13,750,000, this project’s estimated cost is above the county median for its type. The median estimated cost for additions to existing buildings in Taylor County is $400,000. The scheduled build window for this project is 546 days, which is longer than the county median of 214 days. The cost per square foot of $358 is above the county median of $175. These figures indicate a large-scale investment relative to typical local additions.

Pioneer Drive Baptist Church has one other TDLR-registered project totaling $1,300,000, which is inspection complete. Mark W. Todd Architects has six other TDLR-registered projects totaling $16,937,000, including work for John Wesley Methodist Church in Houston and First Baptist Church Olney Education Building in Olney. The firm’s portfolio includes various religious and community facilities across Texas. This project represents a significant portion of the firm’s recent registered activity.

Local Area and Labor Market

The project is located in ZIP code 79605, which has a population of about 28,257 according to U.S. Census ACS 2023 five-year estimates. The median household income in this area is $59,565. There are 12,795 housing units, and the median owner-occupied home value is $159,800. Housing in this area is mostly owner-occupied. The Taylor County unemployment rate was 3.7 percent in August 2026, which is lower than a year earlier.