Scientologists sue over Sandy Springs vote

By April Hunt

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Sandy Springs discriminated against the Church of Scientology when the city refused to let the church expand a former office building into its Georgia headquarters, two new lawsuits claim.

The church filed religious discrimination complaints in U.S. District Court on Wednesday and Fulton County Superior Court on Thursday.

Both suits contend that the city infringed on the church’s religious rights in the City Council's vote Dec. 15 that approved the rezoning of the building at Roswell Road and Glenridge Drive but denied the church’s request to add a fourth floor by enclosing a basement parking garage, saying there wasn’t enough parking.

“Their own staff said if you put a cap on occupancy, which we proposed, the parking is sufficient,” said William Woodson Galloway, the church’s attorney. “There are many, many ways they could have addressed the quote, ‘public safety issue,’ and they didn’t.”

Mayor Eva Galambos and six council members -- including two new members who did not participate in the December vote -- are named in the suits.

Galambos cast the tie-breaking vote on the issue.

“We dealt with parking and traffic, period,” Galambos said Thursday, declining to comment further because of the pending litigation.

Galloway appealed under the federal Religious Land Use and Institutional Persons Act as well as the state constitution.

In four appearances before the City Council, Galloway warned that the additional space was required because of the nature of Scientology worship, which focuses more on individual classroom study than traditional congregational-style churches.

Galloway’s partner, Doug Dillard, has filed a similar lawsuit against Lilburn for its rejection of a mosque’s request to expand.