Gateway Church

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October, 2015

Prestonwood Baptist Church sold its facility (originally the Hillcrest Church) to Gateway Church, which has its principal DFW-area campus in Southlake. The property is heavily restricted by its zoning (PD 709) and a site plan which basically limits it to what is there now.  Those restrictions go with the land, regardless of who owns it.

The approved site plan for the Church allows only a few very small areas for expansion of the building, indicated in light blue.  It can be viewed here.  To change the site plan in any way -- including parking, driveways, or landscaped areas -- would require re-zoning, including public hearings before both the City Plan Commission and City Council.


March, 2011

The Hillcrest Church announced that it has been sold to Prestonwood Baptist Church.

Since 2004, the property has been heavily restricted by city zoning.  Any expansion or significant change in the configuration of buildings or parking lots would first require a zoning change.


December, 2004

During its time in the neighborhood, the Hillcrest Church was the source of several conflicts with nearby residents.  Issues included its continued expansion and purchase of single family homes to turn into parking lots, parking cars illegally on single-family zoned lots, using a local residential street as a shortcut for its church shuttle buses on Sunday, its off-duty police officers not allowing residential traffic to turn onto Willow Lane when church services were letting out, and (just prior to the 2011 sale to Prestonwood Baptist), a proposal to add a school on the campus, which was dropped in the face of stiff opposition from residents.

In 2004, under pressure from the neighborhood, the Hillcrest Church was zoned into a Planned Development District (PD).  The PD conforms with the written agreement the church reached with various neighbors following two lawsuits.  The zoning was approved by the City Council on December 8, 2004.