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Kensington Church looks to build Bloomfield campus at Detroit Country Day site

Kensington Church is looking to build another massive campus in metro Detroit after entering a $3 million contract to take over property from Detroit Country Day.

The Troy-based nondenominational church is under contract to purchase the private school’s Bloomfield Village Campus at Lahser and Maple roads, said Melissa Thwing, spokeswoman for Kensington Church.

The school is replacing that campus, consisting of a 36,000-square-foot building on 3.5 acres of property, with a $30 million expansion at its middle school at 22400 Hillview Lane in Beverly Hills.

Thwing said the church had been renting space at Groves High School in Birmingham on Sundays for services but was outgrowing the space — a situation similar to what happened in Macomb County before the church opened a permanent $14 million campus in Clinton Township on Hall Road. It had been scouting a space in Oakland County when Country Day’s Bloomfield Village Campus became available.

The purchase agreement is not final, Thwing said. It allows for 120 days to work with architects on designs, conduct due diligence and gather the necessary approvals.

“This is an exciting and important first step, but we have a long way to go before we are able to close,” Cliff Johnson, lead pastor of the church’s Birmingham area practice, said in an email to staff members.

The new campus would be its fifth permanent one. Others are in Troy, Clinton Township, Lake Orion and Traverse City.

The new campus would be funded through Kensington’s three-year, $30 million capital campaign that ended in March. It was unclear if the campaign goal was met. The same campaign funded the 61,000-square-foot worship center in Clinton Township.

Downtown Publications reported Friday that many community members voiced opposition to the plan during a public hearing Tuesday. Traffic flow, noise and parking were among the concerns of neighbors.

The publication reported that Kensington plans to work with Novi-based Cunningham-Limp Development Co. on the project, as it did with its previous development. The historic building on the campus would be preserved, and construction costs could reach $6 million.

More information on the new campus was not available. Alex Calder, director of development at the church, could not be reached Friday.

Posted By: Crain’s Detroit Business on April 19, 2019.  For more information, please click here to read the source article.

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