Protesters oppose gas station replacing historic church

ROSEVILLE — An art studio in Roseville served as a hub of protest April 19 involving a gas station chain replacing a piece of the city’s past.

Sheetz, a Pennsylvania-based gas station and convenience store, is set to move into the space currently occupied by Apple Annie’s Kitchen & Bakery and the Catholic Community of Sacred Heart church. The church property dates back to 1861, though there have been different buildings on the property throughout the years. The church closed Jan. 23, 2017, and has been vacant in the following years.

The new Sheetz was approved at the Roseville Planning Commission’s Feb. 3 meeting. No further action is required by the Roseville City Council following the unanimous approval of the commission.

“The city could not back out of it,” Roseville Assistant City Manager Glenn Sexton said. “The site plan has been approved. The sale of the property is between two private individuals. We have nothing to do with the sale. If we revoked our site plan approval or revoked the zoning, I would suspect we would be opening ourselves up to some liabilities.”

Sexton said if the sellers worked out something with a new entity, things could change. He said the city has not been approached recently by another entity interested in purchasing the property.

The protest took place in front of Gonzo!! Art Studio, whose owner, Edward Stross, filed a claim of appeal in Macomb County Circuit Court in March to halt the Sheetz location. The protesters gathered at the corner of Utica Road and Gratiot Avenue, then spread to Gratiot’s median. DJ Mike Logic played a variety of music ranging from Motown to classic rock to hip-hop. A steady stream of car horns sounded out in support of the protest.

Prior to the protest, Stross said there was an unnamed party interested in Sacred Heart. Pastor Steve Upshur, from Peacemakers International, which is located in Detroit, announced his intention to acquire the property. He said he’d like to see the former church become a mixed use building that would provide help to homeless people in the area. He compared the struggle to preserve the property to the Biblical David and Goliath story.

“I believe God wants that building for himself,” Upshur said.

Upshur delivered a prayer for the building to be preserved. Though he said he had nothing against Sheetz, he said he was in opposition to forces that wanted to destroy the church. He hoped God would turn the hearts of those in positions of power.

“You see the hearts of the people; they want to do what’s right,” he said. “This is not about money. … Lord I know you’re tired of money and corruption and all the craziness that goes on, on all kinds of arenas of the planet. But we’re at this intersection of Utica and Gratiot right now and we pray for that building over there in the name of Jesus.”

DJ Mike Logic stepped from behind the booth to speak.

“Go to your City Council meetings,” he said. “Talk to your representative. Even if you didn’t support them, they have to support you. That is their job.”

Kathy Bidoul, who had previously worked with a homeless shelter in Mio called Lydia’s Gate, spoke to the stigma homeless people face and supported the church and surrounding buildings to assist people in desperate situations.

“There’s so much possibility there; none of that should be torn down” Bidoul said.

The Rev. Gary Geldhof, a Roseville resident, said he hoped to see a church or a center for those in need occupy the former Sacred Heart building.

“They can do better with something else other than a gas station,” Geldhof said. “You’ve got one, two, three right here. Three gas stations, you don’t need any more.”

Roseville resident Crystal Hart came to oppose the new Sheetz location.

“I’m definitely worried about the church because it’s a landmark that we grew up with here in the city of Roseville,” Hart said.

Hart is also concerned about the increased traffic to the area.

“We already get so many accidents on this strip,” Hart said.

Roseville resident Cindy Schafer, with agreement from Hart, said that local businesses will suffer from the new Sheetz moving in. Schafer was baptized at Sacred Heart 75 years ago. She went to the church and her husband attended the school on the property. She was concerned about the fate of the nearby cemetery.

“I have a lot of plots there,” Schafer said. “I’m so afraid of what’s going to happen to the cemetery if the church goes down.”

Sexton confirmed that the cemetery would remain.

“The cemetery is absolutely not part of the Sheetz development,” Sexton said. “The cemetery is going to remain as is and that part of the property is not part of this deal.”

Gloria Gorko, who now lives in Eastpointe, attended Sacred Heart’s school from first grade to 12th grade. She said that the church’s rectory would make for an ideal bed and breakfast location.

 

‘Welcome Sheetz’
On the other side of the street, a smaller gathering took place, welcoming Sheetz to the neighborhood. Those in favor of the development stood next to a banner that read, “Welcome Sheetz.”

Roseville resident Mike Bennett, who attended Sacred Heart, is in favor of Sheetz moving in.

“I went here, went to everything when they were having fundraisers and everything else,” Bennett said. “Now it’s an empty building. They found needles inside. It’s falling apart.”

Bennett said the criticism of city officials was misplaced, adding that “you have to have new business or the city dies.”

“The building’s gone,” he said. “I love the building, but it’s got to go for progress. They’ve had eight years to come up with money their own way and they didn’t come up with anything.”

Earl Louks, a former Roseville reserve police officer, said the church building had black mold throughout it.

“It’s time. The church is falling in, the bricks are bad,” Louks said.

Katie Woolaver’s family roots in Roseville stretch back to the 1800s. She still lives in the neighborhood near the church. She said she was in favor of the storage facility moving in. Woolver said the vacant property, which she said was in poor shape, has been a magnet for break-ins.

“I work in the yard and I hear glass breaking,” Woolaver said. “Then I call the city (police officers) and they board them up.”

She said it’s time for a change, though she understood Stross’ point of view.

“I give credit to Gonzo, he’s got a cause,” she said. “I give him credit for trying, but you’re not going to stop it. You can’t blame the City Council for it — the church sold it. They’re the ones that had to sign the papers, not the city.”