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Parking may be only snag for ScientologyBy THOMAS C. TOBIN © St. Petersburg Times, published May 10, 1998 When the controversial organization revealed itself in 1976 as the secret buyer of the landmark hotel, the message was, "We've arrived." During the next 22 years, the church added to its holdings bit by bit. But last week, with the release of its plans for a massive expansion project, the church told the community with a sharp ring of finality that it is here to stay. While many praised the project's 1920s-style design, its size left them wondering what the impact would be on downtown. It will be the largest single project ever in downtown Clearwater and the largest in the church's 44-year history. The reaction in the community was a mixture of admiration for the project, angst about the air of permanence it will lend to a church that has often been at odds with the city, and questions about such key issues as parking and how much control city officials will have over the project. Despite its massive size -- a 300,000-square-foot building and a 3,500-seat auditorium linked to the Fort Harrison Hotel -- city commissioners probably will have no direct say over how the project is carried out. If the church's plans vary at all from the city code, those issues likely will be handled by lesser boards, city officials said last week. If there is any obstacle to approval of the project, it is parking. But city and church officials have scheduled a meeting this month to discuss how downtown will accommodate the hundreds of added car trips generated by the new building and the auditorium. In a version of the church's plans released last summer, the southeast corner of Franklin Street and S Garden Avenue was to be the site of a parking garage. However, the latest plans call for the auditorium at that site. The church has released no specific plans for a replacement parking site, but is seeking to amass more land along Franklin and Court streets. Currently, it controls several parcels. However, it lacks several key properties, including the American Red Cross headquarters on Court Street, a county parking lot and a small lodge owned by the Knights of Pythias, a fraternal group. Representatives for the Knights of Pythias and the Red Cross say they have been contacted by the church but aren't willing to sell. Asked whether the church planned to buy the block for parking, Scientology spokesman Brian Anderson said: "It's always a possibility. It's nothing set in concrete at this point." According to a parking study commissioned by Scientology in August, a strict reading of the city code would require the church to develop 900 new parking spaces for the auditorium and 1,705 for the adjacent office and training building. "That would be an unbelievable amount of parking spaces," City Commissioner Karen Seel said. But the study also noted that the code allows for some "flexibility." It concluded that several factors will lessen the need for new spaces. It said the building and auditorium would not be used at the same time and could share parking. It said on-street spaces could be used. It argued that hundreds of Scientology staffers would ride to the new building on the church buses that pick them up from communal living quarters in other areas of Clearwater. It also suggested that the church initiate a program to encourage staff and visiting students to ride bicycles to the building. The study concluded that the whole project would need only 900 new spaces. Even so, Seel said, "that's massive." The city's new downtown parking garage has about 450 spaces. Another option, according to the study, would be for the church to pay the city $4,500 per space in lieu of new parking facilities. Several city commissioners said they hope someone will keep them abreast of the project informally, even if they have no official say over the project. They also said they hope the city employees who review the parking requirements hold as firm as possible to the city code. "I think the first instruction would be, "Don't set any precedents here,' " Commissioner Bob Clark said, "because there are other people in downtown who need parking besides the church." Commissioner Ed Hooper agreed, saying, "I would hope there's no surprises." Seel said she liked the proposal for a payment to the city in lieu of parking, as long as the money would be used to help solve parking woes in downtown. One solution could be a church-built parking facility that also could be used by the city, she said. Considering that the church's new buildings will be tax-exempt, "that would be a nice thing for them to do," Seel said. Anderson said he is confident a parking solution can be found. "We've been working closely with the city," he said. "There's no problem with parking. It'll all be worked out according to code." For commercial developments, the cost of parking is often the key factor in how big a project is or whether it is built at all, said Ed Armstrong, a prominent Clearwater land attorney. However, he said, such considerations do not figure as prominently with the Church of Scientology. "With enough money you can solve virtually every development obstacle," Armstrong said. Money "doesn't enter into their analysis. The church doesn't care. They just want to build a landmark, trophy building. ... It's going to be hugely expensive, but that's how they do things." Based on industry estimates, the cost of the church's proposed 300,000-square-foot building could range from $100 per square foot for the plainly outfitted spaces to $200 or more for the more lavishly appointed areas. Auditoriums typically cost more, from $200 to $250 per square foot. And parking garages can cost $6,000 per space to $10,000 or $11,000 per space. Based on those estimates, a conservative estimate for the building, auditorium and parking garage would be between $60-million and $70-million. "I think probably the biggest frustration is I don't know that there's anything I can do about it," said Mayor Rita Garvey, a longtime critic of Scientology. "Obviously, I'm not excited about it. It just further develops their stronghold on the city of Clearwater." City Commissioner J.B. Johnson said the building represented "a good beginning" to the church dominating the downtown area. "If any organization built such a gigantic building I would be concerned that they would take over downtown," he said. Anderson said the project would enhance downtown's beauty and bring thousands of people downtown and help the economy. "We have now a real spirit of cooperation and unity in the city and that makes me very happy," he said. Construction on the building will begin soon, Anderson said, and will take two years to complete. Construction would then start on the auditorium. Seel, who once worked for her father's architectural firm, said the project is going to "have a significant impact visually and structurally downtown." She also said she saw it more as a consolidation of the church's activities than an expansion. Clark said: "There are a couple of other religious organizations in the downtown that are right now on a pretty even basis with the Church" of Scientology. "It's an imposing structure, but we've got other imposing structures in downtown." Said Hooper, "It's got to be a whole lot prettier than what's sitting there right now."
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LEARWATER -- Not since the Church of Scientology bought the Fort Harrison Hotel has there been such a bold expression of its goals in Clearwater.
