HERMITAGE — Butler County Community College will triple the space at its BC3 @ LindenPointe campus in Mercer County.

The college's board of trustees in August approved the project, and now city planning commissioners and the city board of commissioners have approved the plan, the college announced Tuesday.

Currently, the college occupies the bottom floor of an 8,000-square-foot building in the LindenPointe Business Campus and serves 300 students.

Now BC3 will own and occupy all of the two-story, 8,000-square-foot building and add 11,100 square feet to create more of a campus for students. The new space will offer five more classrooms, two computer labs, one science lab and a student lounge.

Additional land will be acquired for 300 parking spaces across the street.

The BC3 Education Foundation will acquire the 8,000-square-foot building owned by the Subscribers Encouraging Economic Development this year. Construction of the 11,100 square foot addition will begin about March 1.

The new facility will be ready for classes on Jan. 15, 2011.

The college will continue to hold classes in the spring semester during construction of the new addition. Once construction is complete, classes will move into the new addition and renovation of the existing space will begin.

Thomas J. Keller Architects of Canfield, Ohio, will do the design, and the Rien Construction Co. will build the new facility.

BC3 began serving students in Mercer County in 1997 at Mercer High School and at the Mercer County Career and Technical School.

BC3 @ LindenPointe opened in 2005.