DETROIT (WXYZ) — If you've driven past Woodward and 7 Mile in Detroit lately, you've probably noticed something different.
Watch the full story from Carolyn Clifford in the video below
Nearly 20 years in the making, there's finally real movement at the site of Bishop Marvin Winans' new Perfecting Church.
PREVIOUS STORY: Construction to resume this fall at Perfecting Church on Woodward Avenue in Detroit
After years of controversy and a courtroom battle with the City of Detroit, construction crews are now working full speed ahead.
Over the past eight months, those crews from Tooles Contracting Group have been busy inside and outside the 168,000-square-foot structure that will be the home of the new Perfecting Church, transforming what had long been seen as a stalled project.
“We are working feverishly so that we will have our opening in 2026. And with all of the things that people don't know falling in line from tariffs to the interest rates, all of that can determine how fast or how slow things go," Winans told me.
One of the construction partners told us the land surrounding the church has been graded, tree removal is complete, and new curbs, sidewalks and parking lots are taking shape with spots for 705 cars.
"We've been working. This is 2025, we been having folk in and out since we started back up, you know, it has been a continual grind, slowing some areas, some things, our long lead items where you have to place the order months and months ahead," Winans said.
Inside, crews have finished fireproofing the structure and completed the acoustics in the 3,200-seat sanctuary. The fire suppression system — including all black piping and sprinklers — has been installed throughout the building. The fire alarm system is being wired now, rough plumbing is underway, and HVAC work is in progress. Workers will begin putting up walls this month.
One of the pricier additions now required by the City of Detroit is a new water retention system, that's expected to help slow the release of rainwater and reduce flooding in Detroit neighborhoods.
The city has also issued new sitework permits, and both sides now agree: progress is undeniable.
Here’s the statement we received from Corporation Counsel for the City of Detroit Conrad Mallett:
“He remains hopeful Perfecting Church will be completed by June of 2026. In an effort to help the church complete the project, the City of Detroit at its own expense has employed a certified and licensed structural engineer to determine the building's viability after more than 20 years of neighborhood frustration. Once and for all, the court and the people of the City of Detroit will know if their patience will be rewarded. Current talks between the City of Detroit and Perfecting Church should result in the filing of another consent agreement that the parties hope will be the last time court supervision will be necessary.”
“So what do you say to community members? I know this has been a long process — almost 20 years. Do any neighbors say anything?” I asked Winans.
“I understand their impatience and I often tell them, 'just give me some more money and we'll get it done faster.' But it's gonna be a blessing for the whole city and the suburbs. We have great plans for this building as a community church," he said.
Crews are working daily from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., with completion expected by June 2026 at a projected cost of $23 million.
“The plans that you showed me before, the beautiful plans — have those plans changed?” I asked.
“Some of those have changed as it relates to whether it's a Chevrolet or a Cadillac," he said, adding, "We’ve scaled just a little. But we are holding true to what you saw because we wanted to have that wow factor.”
While plans have been downsized just a bit, when finished, Perfecting Church will include banquet space, classrooms, and community areas — a long-awaited vision nearly two decades in the making.
And there’s more — to the north of the church, Winans is also developing 157 lots of affordable housing for the community.
