Swingers Club Sues Over Zoning Snafu In Rural Michigan Community

SUMMIT TWP (CBS Detroit) Developers are suing Summit Township in rural Michigan over a stalled plan to build a so-called swingers' club.

Township officials last year ordered the Epicurean Developments club to stop renovations on a building, which they had intended to turn into their clubhouse. To continue the work, the club had to apply for a permit. Instead, they sued.

Township Supervisor Jim Dunn says the issue is about zoning, as the club's planned location is meant for commercial businesses.

"It's fundamentally a zoning question in terms of what type of businesses are allowed to operate in what particular areas of the township," he said to WWJ's Sandra McNeill. "It's no different than anything else."

The suit claims the stoppage at 4200 Spring Arbor Road is a civil rights violation. WWJ has calls out the club's three attorneys.

Club developers tipped their hand to the planned use of their facility with a website called 'the club at 4200.' In it, organizers say, "The Club @ 4200 is a member's only club for couples in search of a discrete atmosphere where they can be themselves, regardless of age, social standing, race, occupation or physical stature."

The club promises 10,000 square feet of "everything you're looking for" near Jackson, Mich. Members are welcomed as family, it says, adding the facility includes a dance club and clean bathrooms.

They go on to describe the facility as an "elegant and exciting club." The annual membership fee is $75 per couple. All events are open only to members and all are BYOB, the website says.