The Grand Rapids City Planning Commission on May 8 agreed to table deliberation and a final decision on Matthews House Ministry’s request to establish a day-resource center at 1050 Leonard Street NW for approximately 90 days.

The pause, which the planning commission chair said they support, follows a lengthy public hearing in which neighbors, business owners, clergy and service providers testified both for and against the relocation. Planning department staff, the applicant and the West Grand Neighborhood Organization all told the commission they supported postponing the decision so Matthews House could revise its “good neighbor” and operations plans and continue community conversations.

The proposal would convert an existing roughly 8,300-square-foot building on a 9,700-square-foot lot into a social service facility providing meals, clothing distribution, showers, laundry, case management and a day-resource center for West Side residents. Elizabeth, planning department staff, told the commission the use is treated as a special land use and must meet standards including consistency with the City master plan and the West Side area-specific plan. She said the applicant’s packet included a good neighbor plan but that staff needed more detail on staffing levels, how both building entrances would be used, queuing and traffic-control measures, and specifics of the proposed security and trash management.

Pastor George Werkama, executive director and founder of Matthews House Ministry, who has operated the program at a smaller site for about 18 years, told the commission daily operations are planned from about 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and that the organization provides case management, ID replacement support, job assistance, laundry, showers and a food pantry. Pastor George said the current location is about 1,300 square feet and does not fit the demand: “During our lunch hour we’ll sometimes serve 80 to 100 people a day,” he said, describing how the larger Leonard Street space would allow more indoor services and reduce outdoor congregation at the current site.

Architect Steve Fritsma of Elevate Studio described building changes including increased storefront transparency (from about 17% to roughly 50%), use of an existing cargo elevator for donation processing, and planned interior storage and sorting spaces. He noted constraints for locating a dumpster and accessible parking because an adjacent lot and existing overhead utilities are not part of the Matthews House property.

Speakers at the public hearing were sharply divided. Supporters — including business owners, clergy and residents who described receiving services from Matthews House — said the relocation would increase service capacity, move distributions indoors and could reduce neighborhood disorder tied to outdoor queuing. Helping Hands Mission Store operations manager Mindy Kechel said locating services “right where they’re needed most” would save lives and increase access.

Opponents — including nearby business owners and residents — voiced worries about public safety, litter, encampments, increased police calls and effects on future commercial redevelopment of the Leonard corridor. Several speakers cited police-call volumes at Matthews House’s current location and said they feared similar activity would shift closer to the proposed site. Property owner Houston Moyer, who owns a building immediately east of 1050 Leonard, told the commission he had not been adequately contacted by the applicant and questioned the application’s fit with zoning and the master plan.

Commissioners and staff asked for additional, specific documentation before deciding whether to approve the special land use. Requests included: a staffing plan showing minimum and maximum staff on site; clarification of how the front (Leonard) and rear (Powers Avenue) entrances would be used and monitored; a detailed traffic-control plan for food distribution and donation drop-off; a trash and dumpster management plan that accounts for adjacent property constraints; a security plan developed with the Grand Rapids Police Department and Mobile GR; and more precise parking and queuing projections. Staff also noted the building will require sprinkler upgrades as part of the change of use and said the applicant plans to coordinate on a water-line connection during Leonard Street construction.

After the public comment and questions, a commissioner moved to table the item to allow the applicant and neighborhood organization to complete the requested materials and for staff to incorporate public feedback. The motion passed by voice vote; the planning department will re-notice the case and schedule a second public hearing after the pause. The commission and staff said all written correspondence submitted for the May 8 hearing will carry forward into the next packet.

The 90-day pause leaves the applicant able to revise operational details and address neighborhood concerns before the commission issues a final decision. Commissioners said they plan to review the supplemental materials — especially evidence about the relationship between integrated day-center services and neighborhood crime or emergency-service use — before acting.