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Church Of Scientology Buys Another Piece Of Downtown Clearwater

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By STEVEN GIRARDI | The Tampa Tribune

Published: August 7, 2008

CLEARWATER - The Church of Scientology has added to its downtown property holdings, buying a 5-acre waterfront parcel from church members whose plans for a condominium failed.

The church paid $10 million for the property along North Fort Harrison Avenue but has no plans for it, church spokeswoman Pat Harney said today. It could become part of the church's expansion of the Sandcastle complex that fronts Clearwater Harbor, she said.

"Now we have a little more land to play with," Harney said.

The Sandcastle, a one-time resort motel, has been used for hotel rooms, counseling, training and course work since the church bought it in the 1980s. The new property is west of Fort Harrison, near Osceola and Jones streets, where the church plans to add a religious services building, Harney said.

Church members Ben Kugler and Ron Pollack, partners in Triangle Old Bay Holdings, had plans for a luxury condominium and retail project on the property. Problems with financing forced them to put it on the market, Harney said.

"At first we weren't interested," she said. "And then they came back to us and we looked at it and saw an opportunity and said, 'OK,' and went with it."

The church agreed in June to buy the 5 acres, which Harney noted "is the only significant adjacent property ever likely to become available" in the area.

Scientology, which has its spiritual headquarters in downtown's Fort Harrison Hotel, now owns nearly 30 properties in Clearwater, most of them in the downtown area. Most prominent is the new Flag Building, a 380,000-square-foot building at 215 S. Fort Harrison Ave., across from the Fort Harrison Hotel. The center, which covers an entire block, was begun in 1999 but has yet to be completed.

Reporter Steven Girardi may be reached at (727) 451-2333 or at sgirardi@tampatrib.com.

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