A group of residents is trying to reverse a recent Clearwater City Council vote to give a block of a downtown street to the Church of Scientology to expand its spiritual headquarters.
Why it matters: It’s the latest flashpoint in a struggle over Clearwater’s fraught downtown, where the church and companies tied to it own around 200 properties.
- It’s also a major issuedriving the city’s upcoming elections, in which five candidates are competing for two Council seats.
The big picture: Many properties tied to the church have sat vacant with no public-facing plan — until recently, when a church-affiliated group kicked off renovations to historic buildings along downtown’s main drag.
- The Cleveland Street Alliance announced in the last month that the Michelin-adjacentTastes Pretty Good restaurant group would open two new restaurants on the strip.
- The alliance has also touted plans for an entertainment center it says will feature “the largest cinema screen in the world.”
Yes, but: Resident backlash to another church-affiliated project — and a key City Council vote that advanced it— underscores a continuing skepticism of Scientology’s presence downtown…