First Baptist Church of Leesburg soon will be expanding into Fruitland Park with its new Village Park Campus.
That plan for growth gained the approval of the Fruitland Park City Commission Thursday night by a unanimous vote (Vice Mayor John Gunter was absent).
The approval of phase I of the site plan on 7.4 acres south of County Road 466A and west of Pine Ridge Dairy Road will allow the church to build a 1,500-seat sanctuary, an administrative building, a multi-purpose building, an educational building and required parking. The church also agreed to a buffer between its parking lot and homes in The Villages portion of the city so car lights won’t bother those homeowners.
The architectural plans call for the church to use building materials and colors compliant with city’s non-residential design standards. The buildings will feature a neutral earth tone color pallet consisting of gray and white. The material on the buildings will be a combination of sand-blasted texture, stone texture, stone veneer and stucco, with gray roof shingles. A stone wall with a bronze cross will adorn a front façade, along with columns.
