The Church of Scientology lost its last bid to defeat the Craviotto family’s plans to build a two-story building at 518 State Street, now the site of an open-air bazaar. The south-facing windows in the church’s 107-year-old building next door would be sealed, which Scientology bigwig Lee Holzinger said would force him to install air conditioning, ironic since the new building is touted as green. However, the City Council approved of the modesty of the Craviotto project, designed by architect Brian Cearnal, and praised his inclusion of two small rental units on the top floor instead of more commercial space.
The city exempted the developer from having to provide parking for the rentals, a studio and one-bedroom apartment with a combined square footage of 1,800 feet. In response to objections that this would cause the renters to park on nearby streets, councilmembers noted that they would incur $50 fines each time they overstayed the 75-minute limit. Residents may, however, park two-wheeled vehicles for free in the adjacent City Parking Lot 10.