Detroit City Sues Marvin Winans Over Stalled Church Project
Grammy-winning gospel singer Marvin Winans has a dream to build a state-of-the-art megachurch at the corner of Woodward Ave & W Seven Mile Road in Detroit. Winans' dream for Perfecting Church is that it will feature a 4,200-seat auditorium for worship, a 35,000-square-foot administration building, a 1,000-space parking facility and 70 condos costing $60 million. More than 18 years after construction on that dream began, however, the property remains a symbol of blight in the community.
The city of Detroit has sued Winans and his unfinished mega-church, 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.
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.
"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," Winans said in response.
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. If Winans fails to accomplish the construction project, 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.
