Golden Gate Seminary finalizes campus purchase

ONTARIO, Calif. (BP) -- Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary has finalized the purchase of its new campus site east of Los Angeles near the Ontario International Airport.

President Jeff Iorg announced Nov. 7 that the Conditional Use Permit (CUP) has been approved by the city of Ontario, removing the final condition on closing the sale.

“The planning and governmental processes leading to the closing have been very smooth,” Iorg said. “We are about six weeks ahead of schedule in our planning process and are on track to meet the June 2016 relocation deadline.”

The new site includes a six-story building, more than 700 parking places and an adjacent lot legally entitled for a future building.

The building was constructed in 2009 and has remained vacant due to the economic downturn. The building’s exterior is finished and all mechanical systems have been installed, but its interior is unfinished.

The building encompasses approximately 153,000 square feet while the future building already is entitled at 75,000 square feet. By comparison, the seminary’s core campus buildings in Mill Valley in the San Francisco Bay Area are only 121,000 square feet. Thus, the building in Ontario is about 20 percent larger than the seminary’s current facilities, with ample space for further growth.

“Our new campus will be very different than our former campus. It is a much more efficient use of space and resources,” Iorg said. “A seminary for the 21st century needs space for students, faculty, library, worship and administration. We will soon have state-of-the-art facilities for all these purposes, plus the most advanced educational technology available.”

“We will soon announce future plans for the new Bay Area campus as well as other changes and additions to facilitate our future ministry,” said Iorg, who announced the seminary’s relocation in April. “These are exciting days to be at Golden Gate.”

The seminary is in the process of requesting approval for a name change to Gateway Seminary of the Southern Baptist Convention. The new name will require approval at two consecutive SBC annual meetings, beginning in 2015 in Columbus, Ohio.

Golden Gate Seminary also operates fully accredited campuses in Brea, Calif.; Phoenix; Denver; and the Portland, Ore., area.
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Tyler Sanders is coordinator of communications for Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary.