After three years of fighting, the Church of Scientology finally has its parking figured out to expand its building in Sandy Springs.

The city council approved the church’s expansion by a 5-1 vote. The church will now add 12,000 square feet to a building it occupies at the corner of Roswell Road and Glendridge Drive.

"It's been a long struggle," said attorney William Woodson Galloway, who represented the church. "We think the City Council did the right thing in approving the settlement."

The fight all along has been over parking.

The council gave the church permission to occupy the site in late 2009. But it could not expand because planners said there were not spaces for the expansion.

A federal judge upheld the city’s decision after the church took them to court. But the judge ordered both sides to work it out. The church was able to get 50 of its 130 spaces for the expansion from a nearby Post Office.

Opponents said the Post Office parking spaces can’t go toward the church’s official count. But the city’s attorneys countered with two instances were zoning variances related to parking were granted to other churches.

That was enough for the council, but not enough for the opponents.

"This is based on two previous zoning decisions, so they're going to compound two wrongs with another wrong," resident Brian Daughdrill said.

"We won the argument but lost the decision," said Robin Beechey, who represents the Willow Glen Condominium Association.

Councilwoman Karen McEnerny  says she regrets granting the variances in the past, but voted to give the Church of Scientology the same accommodation.

Councilman Tibby DeJulio cast the only vote against the measure.