Construction on an 800,000-square-foot film studio in San Marcos is set to begin Feb. 4.

The first phase of construction on Hill Country Studios will include two 25,000-square-feet sound stages and a two-story 24,000-square-foot support building, according to the filing with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. It’s estimated to cost $20 million.

“Having a state-of-the-art movie production studio here will draw a lot of attention to our area,” Page Michel, president and CEO of the San Marcos Area Chamber of Commerce, said.

Michel said there will be a significant and diverse set of new jobs coming to town, including suppliers and businesses that will work near the studio. That means local hotels, restaurants and entertainment venues could also see more business.

“There’s excitement for this project on so many levels in San Marcos,” she said.

The developers of Hill Country Studios said they wanted to bring the industry to an already booming part of the state, along the I-35 corridor.

“Our goal is to put Texas on the map as one of the premier destinations for film and TV production for the long term,” Jacob Cowen, chief marketing officer of Hill Country Studios, said in September.

Hundreds of people protested construction of the film studio when it was proposed in June 2022. Activists and environmentalists said the development could limit the amount of water getting to the Edwards Aquifer and possibly pollute the groundwater that feeds local springs and rivers.

Since then, the developers have worked with organizations like the San Marcos River Foundation to learn how to mitigate the project’s impact on local water sources.

Altogether, Hill Country Studios is set to build over 800,000 square feet of studio facilities, including 12 sound stages, four workshops and 250,000 square feet of production office space.