DECATUR, Ala. — Calvary Assembly of God Church hopes to close on 182 acres of prime real estate near Interstate 65 in the next three weeks and plans to build a 4,500-seat sanctuary surrounded by a residential neighborhood and restaurants.

According to The Associated Press, the first phase of the project calls for a 3,000-seat sanctuary with theater-style seating to open in fall 2005. The site will feature a state-licensed daycare center for 140 children, about 50 patio-style homes for "active seniors" and an assisted living center for about 48 residents.

The second phase, to begin three years later, would add 1,500 seats and commercial development around the site, including restaurants and possibly a hotel. Plans include single-family homes, but Jay Davis, the church's operations manager for the development, said there is no formal concept for style or price.

"We'll start the church and the senior center right away," Davis said. "We've talked with four different developers. Then we'll be actively looking for partners on the rest of it. For the commercial, we're looking at some medical offices and some larger retail."

He said the church wants the development to be pleasing to the community because it would have a lasting impact.

The proximity to I-65 is important to the church because 40 percent of its congregation lives in communities along it and studies show that 200,000 people who don't attend church live within driving range of the property.

"The consultants we worked with tell us an active church can get 1 to 2 percent of the total population," Davis said. "We could easily double our size. Everything we are doing is expandable."