BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. -- The pastor of New Alliance Haitian Church said his plans to build a 240-seat, $650,000 church have been mired in the city's approval process while the church pays taxes and a monthly pre-construction mortgage, according to the Sun-Sentinel.

"Over $324,000 we've already spent and the piece of land is vacant for more than three years," said Dieugrand Jacques. "The city is having us go back and forth, back and forth."

New Alliance bought the 1.9-acre site in 1999 and went to the City Commission last fall for approval to start building. The process got bogged down by neighbors' objections and a disagreement between city staff and commissioners over who should pay to upgrade a road leading to the property, according to the news report.

Since then, the church has said it will pay to widen Hoadley Road -- not because it is its responsibility, but because it has no choice, said Alfred Daise, the church's contractor.

"The choice is either lose the hundreds of thousands of dollars they've spent and go to litigation or pay to build the road," Daise told the newspaper. "We're trying to take the path of least resistance."

Widening the 600-foot-long road from 15 feet to 20 feet could cost as much as $40,000, Daise said, because it would involve removing some trees and extending utility lines.

City engineer David Kelley said the church has been treated no differently than any other applicant.