The city of Detroit is suing Bishop Marvin Winans and his Perfecting Love church over the incomplete development of a mega-church and its surrounding campus.
The lawsuit alleges that the property is dilapidated and a public nuisance, and has caused blight to emerge as a result. The property has been under construction for nearly 20 years.
The stalled development at 7 Mile and Woodward Avenue was suppose to include a 35,000 administrative building and 4000 seat church campus.
In a statement, Pastor Winans stated, ""We are shocked and extremely disappointed that the city would take this course of action in the dark of the night, and in our opinion, not acting in good faith. The Perfecting Church’s attorneys are reviewing the lawsuit; we will have further comment at a later date."
According to the lawsuit, Perfecting Church has not been issued a building permit since July 2015. When the city conducted an inspection of the building's exterior, they found worn out fencing, weeds, and the presence of rodents. It is possible that the city deems the property beyond repair, the building structure could be razed.
Detroit Corporation Counsel Conrad Mallett stated, "The City of the Detroit has profound respect for Perfecting Church and Bishop Winans." However, he continued, "For 20 years, we’ve been waiting on that very wonderful cathedral-like structure on the corner of 7 Mile and Woodward to be completed. It is not yet complete."