A Lathrop church will soon have itself a new permanent home.

Last week the Lathrop Planning Commission voted to grant World Harvest Ministries International a conditional use permit that will allow the organization to move into a facility inside of the D’Arcy Business Park near the intersection of Murphy and D’Arcy Parkways.

The 2,900 square foot space will have seating to accommodate 49 guests as well as a stage, an administrative office, and a restroom.

For the last 10 years the church has rented space every week from the City of Lathrop and hosted its congregants at the Lathrop Community Center on Sundays. The small church has been active in helping serve the community over the years by volunteering at events such at the Lathrop Relay for Life and Memorial Day celebration, and the congregation has worked to help feed the homeless in the community and visit local residents currently in assisted living facilities, according to the staff report prepared for the commission.

Because the building itself has already been completed, the church will need to make no exterior modifications or improvements in order to occupy the space. According to the staff report, a tenant improvement permit will need to be issued by the city before any modifications can be made to the inside of the building.

The business park utilizes a parking lot shared amongst all the businesses located within it, and with the majority of services taking place in the evening or on Sunday is not expected to impact the day-to-day operations of the adjacent businesses. According to the staff report, the church would only need 43 of the available 339 parking spaces that are available at the development.

Of the 2,900 available square feet, approximately 2,150 will be used for the church sanctuary that will include folding chairs that can be removed so that the space can serve a multipurpose role – either doubling as a meeting or event space.

While the church may add building signs once the space inhabited, there are no proposed changes to the exterior of the building, and city staff believes that the use would not impact the character of the surrounding area or be out of step with the designated zoning.

The Lathrop Planning Commission meets on the third Wednesday of every month inside of the council chambers at Lathrop City Hall – located at 390 Towne Centre Drive – at 6 p.m. For more information, or to obtain a copy of the agenda for past or future meetings, visit the City of Lathrop’s website at www.ci.lathrop.ca.us.

To contact reporter Jason Campbell email jcampbell@mantecabulletin.com or call 209.249.3544.