GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The Grand Rapids City Commission held public hearings Tuesday on Gideon Project LLC’s request for an 11-year tax abatement to transform a vacant corner building at 801 Oakdale St. into a mixed-use development featuring a cafe, ice cream shop and affordable housing units.

The $2.1 million project would renovate the blighted building through an Obsolete Property Rehabilitation District designation and tax exemption certificate. No final vote was taken during the public hearing process, but commissioners heard from project developer Tasha Cruz and other speakers about the neighborhood revitalization effort.

Cruz, who plans to open Annabelle’s ice cream shop as part of the development, told commissioners the business honors her grandmother’s legacy. “The ice cream shop is named Annabelle’s, and she was born in 1907 and was a surgical nurse… if she could do it during her time, I can do it now,” Cruz said.

Mayor David LaGrand expressed support for bringing commercial activity back to the area, noting the neighborhood’s business history. “Those of us with long memories of that neighborhood, remember when there were businesses along there. There was a hardware store there back in the day,” LaGrand said.

The tax abatement would freeze property taxes at current levels for 11 years while the developer pays taxes only on the land value, not the improvements. This incentive structure aims to make redevelopment of vacant or underutilized properties financially viable for developers.

Along with Cruz, speakers included Audrey Tappendon and Kurt Reppert, though the city has not yet released details about their specific comments or positions on the proposal.

The Oakdale Street project represents the type of mixed-use development Grand Rapids has increasingly embraced to address both commercial corridor revitalization and affordable housing needs. The combination of retail space and residential units aims to create sustained activity in neighborhoods that have seen businesses close over recent decades.

The commission will likely vote on the tax abatement request at a future meeting after reviewing public input from Tuesday’s hearings.