Here’s another version of the man-bites-dog syndrome.
We know that in this city you can’t open a bar within 1,000 feet of a church. Makes sense. There’s plenty of precedent and lots of obvious reasons.
But how about opening a church within 1,000 feet of a bar? Who would want to? Who cares?
Actually, some Ybor City property owners with wet zoning probably do care. That’s because the Church of Scientology, not to be confused with a cathedral of Christian convention, is greatly expanding its token presence — an 8th Avenue information center — in Ybor City. The COS recently purchased the Ybor Square complex.
It also bought some uncertainty, if not unease, among some bottom-line neighbors.
Will COS “parishioners” patronize local establishments? Will Scientology’s shear presence and proselytizing reputation amount to a stress-test for surrounding businesses? Or will it amount to much ado about nothing — except for that matter of a city block coming off the tax rolls during a recession?