Clearwater City Council advances Church of Scientology plan to acquire public downtown street

CLEARWATER, Fla. - A controversial proposal to hand a downtown Clearwater street over to the Church of Scientology advanced Thursday night after drawing hundreds of passionate people to a packed city council meeting.

Scientology expansion debate 

The backstory:

The Church of Scientology is asking Clearwater leaders to vacate the public right of way on South Garden Avenue between Franklin and Court streets. The church owns the surrounding property and wants the road to expand its campus with a new venue hall and plaza.

Attorney Robert Potter, a representative for the Church of Scientology, said the area will be open to the public, pedestrian-friendly and bring green space and vitality to downtown Clearwater.

"When I think about the L. Ron Hubbard Hall and the people who will use it, I think about creating an environment where families, parishioners and visitors can gather safely and comfortably," Scientologist and local resident Greg Norman, who donated to the building and spoke during the public comment portion of the meeting, said.

If vacating the road is approved, the Church of Scientology said it would need about six years to construct the building. 

Public space concerns

What they're saying:

The proposal passed its first reading Thursday night in a 3-2 vote.

Vice Mayor and council member Ryan Cotton supported the advancement.

"We've done it for other organizations. We've done [it] for hotels out on the beach for certain different smaller streets. We've done it for other religious organizations out near Cooper's Point area for two residential streets," Cotton said.

Council member Lina Teixeira said she wants to do what’s best for the city. She said an earlier proposal from the church did not close off the street at all.

"Vacating a street in the urban core goes against the development of downtown. We've invested so much into revitalizing downtown, and removing accessibility and maneuverability to me is not something that I can accept. It's a public asset," Teixeira said.

Downtown accessibility impact

The other side:

Many residents are pushing back against the plan, arguing that the growing city cannot afford to give away public assets. Resident Sylvia Patterson, a member of a group called Save the Garden, said the organization collected 8,752 petition signatures to keep the street public.

"If there's no public benefit to it, give it away. But fire trucks use it, garbage trucks, buses, emergency vehicles. It's going to be needed for future development of Clearwater. So, it's just absurd," Patterson said. 

Next council vote

What's next:

The plan cleared the first reading of the public hearing, and it must go before the Clearwater City Council again for a second reading in about two weeks, where leaders will cast their final votes on the future of South Garden Avenue.

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