A local church is seeking approval from county officials to build a new, private Christian school on about half of its 20-acre plot in southwest Ocala, saying it eventually hopes to enroll up to 500 students.
On Monday, the Marion County Planning and Zoning Commission voted to recommend approval of a special use permit for Ocala Korean Baptist Church to build and operate a private Christian school at 7710 SW 38th Avenue in southwest Ocala.
The permit was considered as part of the commission’s consent agenda, which is enacted with one vote.
According to the application filed with the county, the new school will be named Grace Classical Academy of Ocala and will be built on approximately 10 acres, or 435,600-square-feet, of the church’s property.
The campus will consist of several classroom and administrative buildings, as well as an amphitheater.
Additionally, renderings show that the campus will feature a collection of sports amenities, including a soccer field, a track, basketball courts, pickleball courts, and even a kickball field.
The county staff report recommends approval of the request, although there are several conditions associated with that recommendation.
One of those is the necessity of a traffic study, citing a potential increase of 400 peak AM trips on SW 38th Avenue during school hours.
Regardless of staff, or the PZC’s recommendation, the special use permit will be presented to the Marion County Board of County Commissioners for final approval during the board’s regular meeting on September 17.
If approved, the new school will join similar projects in various stages all across Ocala.
Earlier this month, the company assigned to manage a $130 million high school to serve Marion Oaks began accepting bids from subcontractors for the project.
In April, Grace Christian School broke ground at its 55-acre campus on a new, 100-seat classroom building.
In March, Marion County officials broke ground on two elementary schools coming to Ocala.
