The Church of Scientology and its members are rapidly buying up a vast downtown neighborhood in a Florida city, according to a major investigation by the Tampa Bay Times.

The Tampa Bay Times reports that members of the church have spent $103 million on property in the city of Clearwater — known as "The first Scientology city" — since 2016.

A map of the properties made by the Times shows a 101-acre area in the heart of the city is owned almost exclusively by the church and its members. 92 of the properties in the area were purchased after January 2017.

"There is nothing unnatural about Scientologists wanting to live in the same city that houses the international spiritual headquarters of their church," Scientology attorney Gary Soter told the Tampa Bay Times.

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Members of the Church of Scientology have bought dozens of neighboring properties in the downtown neighborhood of a Florida city, spending $103 million in three years, according to a major investigation by the Tampa Bay Times.

Title deeds reviewed by the newspaper reportedly show that the church and its members own 185 downtown properties in a 101-acre bloc in the waterfront area of Clearwater, a city 22 miles west of Tampa.

92 of those properties were bought after January 2017, reporter Tracey McManus found during an examination of 1,000 property and business records and 90 interviews.

"There is nothing unnatural about Scientologists wanting to live in the same city that houses the international spiritual headquarters of their church," Scientology attorney Gary Soter told the Times in a letter.

"The Church was unaware of the significant number of properties owned by Scientologists in the Clearwater area."

The exterior of the Scientology building on Fountain Avenue, East Hollywood which serves as the group's west coast headquarters. Epics/Getty Images

The Times report the increase in property purchases happened after the church fell out with the city council, which was trying to develop land near the church's spiritual headquarters, Flag Land Base.

Read more: A Church of Scientology cruise ship was quarantined in the Caribbean over a possible measles outbreak onboard

The Tampa Bay Times wrote that most of the purchases took the same form: "A broker who was a Scientologist approached a downtown property owner. Made an offer. Paid in cash. Many of the properties weren't on the market. "

Of the $103 million paid, the newspaper reported that $99 million was offered up as cash.

Clearwater city council member Hoyt Hamilton told the Times: "Scientology must have some sort of a game plan in mind, but they're not public with what it is."

The de facto headquarters of the church is called Gold Base, in San Jacinto, California, but scientists consider Flag Land Base in Clearwater the church's spiritual home.

The new HQ at Flag Land Base was opened in 2013 by famous Scientologist actors Tom Cruise, John Travolta, and Kelly Preston.