Christina Estes/KJZZ

The site of the former Chinese Cultural Center near 44th and Van Buren streets in Phoenix.

A new lawsuit is asking a judge to stop the demolition of the Chinese Cultural Center in Phoenix on religious grounds.

To lay out the arguments being made here, we talked to Jonathan Frutkin, attorney with Radix Law Group in Scottsdale who is behind this lawsuit, along with members of the local Chinese-American community.

We also spoke with Jason Rose about this, a spokesman for True North, the company that purchased the site. Rose addresses allegations that people are not able to use the garden for worship right now.

Rose also said True North has outlined an extensive list of onsite and offsite preservation efforts, the first of which has to do with the garden. He said it will be preserved and remain open during business hours.

Rose said the center has always been a commercial enterprise that has largely failed, and that’s why it was for sale to begin with.