How Liberty Hill Is Building a Live, Work, Play Community From the Ground Up — with Christian Kurtz, Liberty Hill EDC
Liberty Hill has grown by over 340% in five years. The city proper sits at around 16,000 people, but the surrounding area is closing in on 100,000. For Christian, Executive Director of the Liberty Hill EDC, that kind of growth isn't just an opportunity. It's a responsibility.
I sat down with Christian to talk about what's driving Liberty Hill's explosive growth, how the EDC thinks about attracting the right businesses, and why intentionality is the word he keeps coming back to.
From musician to economic developer
Christian grew up in San Antonio, spent years running a music production and publishing company, and fell into economic development almost by accident. He never left. What kept him in the field is the same thing that brought him to Liberty Hill: a genuine belief that economic development, done right, makes people's lives better. He grew up watching his parents pour themselves into helping others and carried that forward.
A bedroom community growing up
Until recently, Liberty Hill was largely a place where people slept and drove elsewhere to work, shop, and spend money. That's changing fast. Costco and Target are early signals of what's coming. As commercial development fills in, the city starts capturing sales tax revenue that can fund roads, water, and infrastructure — reducing the tax burden on residents and making the city financially sustainable in the long run. The goal is simple: live, work, play, all within Liberty Hill.
Intentional growth over convenient growth
Liberty Hill isn't trying to land the biggest company it can find. Christian is focused on attracting businesses that fit the community — employers that pay wages residents can afford to live on, industries that respect the city's character, and partners who see themselves as long-term stakeholders rather than tenants. The city is still deciding exactly which sectors are the best fit, but the framework is clear: if it's not good for the people of Liberty Hill, it's not the right deal.
Water and infrastructure
One of the biggest challenges facing fast-growing cities in central Texas is water. Liberty Hill is actively exploring an advanced water purification system that would allow the city to reclaim and store water rather than relying entirely on outside sources. Christian is careful not to overstate his expertise here, but the message is clear: the city is taking conservation seriously and not waiting for a crisis to act.
The EDC's secret weapon: business retention
Christian is direct about this — the businesses already in Liberty Hill are the most important ones. His projects manager Ivonne Castillo spends significant time in the community talking to existing businesses, finding out what they need, what's getting in their way, and how the EDC can help. If those businesses thrive and advocate for Liberty Hill, new businesses follow. It's a natural progression, but only if the EDC is intentional about tending those relationships.
On incentives
Christian doesn't shy away from the topic. EDC incentives are funded entirely by sales tax, not property tax. The city isn't picking winners and losers — it's sharing the risk with businesses during critical growth periods. When a city offers an incentive, it's putting skin in the game. It signals to a business that the community wants them to succeed. That kind of partnership, Christian argues, is exactly what makes Liberty Hill different from a city that just hands you a permit and wishes you luck.
What makes Williamson County work
Christian points to county-level leadership as a major factor in the region's success. The ability to pick up the phone, set up a conversation, and actually get things done across jurisdictions is rare. When government at every level is aligned and collaborative, it shows. Liberty Hill benefits from being part of a county where that alignment exists.
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