How much did you wish to bet? My complaints about the church parking problem from the church 1/2 block from my old house fell on deaf ears at zoning. They told me "tough shit, get used to it." I didn't care about the number of cars parking on the street or even in front of my house. It is after all a public street. I did mind when the stupid fuckers parked in front of my driveway. That is totally inconsiderate and amazingly selfish. I actually had one tell me "I didn't think you would be going anywhere anytime soon." Based on what? This jerk never even saw me before that moment. Churchgoers are too frequently so full of themselves that they think since they are "doing the lord's will" they can get away with incivilities they would scream about if put upon them for another reason. Obviously not ALL churchgoers but in my experience this behaviour is engaged in by a higher percentage of churchgoers than say garage sale goers or other shoppers. The church was small when I first moved in but five years later it grew to huge size. Another friend who lived near a church had the opposite experience where the church folded and the building became something else. You can't tell in advance which direction growth will take in these matters so the admonition "what were you thinking" doesn't apply to churches as it does to airports. It would be difficult in the extreme to find a home more than 3 blocks from a church in my town.
John Thornton