The city of Detroit sued a pastor and his unfinished mega-church near Woodward Avenue and 7 Mile Road, saying the stalled development is “a massive example of blight and misuse of land.”
In the lawsuit filed last week in Wayne County Circuit Court, the city is asking a judge to declare the property a “nuisance” and order celebrity Pastor Marvin Winans to clean up the blight by April 3 and finish the construction of Perfecting Church, which began 18 years ago.
If Winans fails to accomplish both tasks, the city is urging a judge to transfer the property back to Detroit and allow the city to demolish the unfinished structure and sell the land.
According to the suit, the property is covered in overgrown vegetation and bound by dilapidated fencing and appears to be infested with rodents.
“The condition of the property directly threatens the health, safety, and welfare of neighboring residents and those who must pass the property when using public sidewalks and streets,” the lawsuit states. …
… The city sold the land to the church for $13,000 in March 2005 with “the expectation” that it would be “fully developed,” the lawsuit states. At the time, church officials pledged to build a 4,200-seat church, 35,000-square-foot administration building, and a 1,000-space parking structure.
But the project has stalled, and the church hasn’t received any building permits since July 2015, according to the suit. …… The city is asking a judge to order the church to hire an architect and construction manager by April 3 and prove that it has the finances to complete the project.
What’s extra fucked abt this is there is No Way Detroiters will fill a 4200-seat church. Existing churches are closing all over town! I bet this was planned to wind up as a tax-write off for these rich god-botherers, and they’d abandon it.
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