Christ Church begins clearing its future site

On Aug. 17, Christ Church of Longboat Key, Presbyterian, began clearing a 1.5-acre parcel of land at 6400 Gulf of Mexico Drive and General Harris Street to prepare for construction of a new 12,000-square-foot facility on the two-acre parcel of land the church bought for $2.6 million in March 2008.

According to Bill Buckley, member of the church’s building committee, the clearing and tree-removal process will likely last two more weeks and will allow engineers to assess the site and determine what kind of foundation the building will need.

Within a month-and-a-half, church leaders expect to have a schedule for construction.

“In the next four to six weeks, we will have a layout of how everything is going to go through,” Buckley said.

Founded in 2005, Christ Church continues to hold services and operate out of its current location at 595 Bay Isles Road in Mediterranean Plaza. Church members hope the building will be completed by next season, Buckley said. The church will keep the pink building, part of which is occupied by Longview Realty Inc., on the property and will use some of the remaining space for offices.

In the meantime, sea turtles are benefiting from some of the empty space in the building. The church is currently allowing Longboat Key Turtle Watch to use office space to store stakes and documents.

Contact Robin Hartill at [email protected].