FeedsMinister files lawsuit
A land dispute between a local pastor and the City of Inkster will be settled in court.
The Rev. T.C. Spann, a former principal and operator of the T.C. Spann Bible Institute, filed a lawsuit against the city for refusing to allow him to build a religious school and activities center on Inkster Road. He is seeking more than $1.5 million in damages.
The 27-page complaint was filed in U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Michigan, on June 3. The allegations against the city include violations of the U.S. Religious Land Use Institutionalized Persons Act.
Spann, when interviewed last week, said he has tried for several years to resolve the situation with the city in regard to the 6-acre parcel of land, to no avail.
“I either want to build my church, or they can buy the land from me,” he said. “I’ve lost quite a bit of money over this – if the school had been built as a charter school, I would have had foundation grant dollars, or if it was private, there would be tuition.”
Spann said he purchased the land at 2727 Inkster Road on a land contract from another church in 2000. The original church burnt to the ground in 1987.
The conflict between the city and Spann began shortly thereafter, and apparently centers on permits and whether schools can be constructed in the Downtown Development Authority (DDA) area, according to legal filings.
On July 25, 2000, the plaintiff and the owner of the original church were given permits by the city to repair what was left of the old building, and to begin work on the electrical, plumbing, and mechanical aspects of the structure.
A year after the building was purchased, the Town Center District was established in Inkster as part of the DDA, which does not allow churches or schools to be built.
In December 2001, the Inkster City Council adopted a rezoning plan that effectively negated the ability to build a school on the property, and Spann said he was never given an opportunity to be heard regarding the plan.
Despite this, the permit was renewed in 2002 and 2003. In 2004, the permit was not extended, and a “stop order” was put into place by then-Economic Development Director Derek Hull.
Spann was also informed by Hull that the lease he presented on the property to prove his interest in the parcel was invalid, and the project fell apart.
Attempts resolve the case by City Attorney Milton Spokojny and City Manager Joyce Parker were made, but six months later, Spann was sued by the widow of the original owner, who is also seeking the title to the property. In her case, copies of documentation Spann gave to the city were included in filings.
Parker was unavailable for comment on the case, as was Spokojny. Deano Ware, Spann’s attorney, also did not immediately return calls seeking comment.
