On a corner where shoppers once grabbed groceries, Jerry Ann Hebron is betting a shuttered supermarket can become the North End’s next big lifeline.
Hebron, executive director of Oakland Avenue Urban Farm and the Northend Christian Community Development Corporation, plans to turn a vacant 9,000 square foot grocery at Oakland Avenue and Westminster into a community resilience center to fight food insecurity across Detroit neighborhoods. The vision is a one-stop hub that combines a commercial kitchen, community food storage, an event space and affordable housing under one very large roof.
Hebron has told reporters the project could run roughly $8 to $10 million, with organizers hoping to start initial work this summer and have the facility fully operating by 2028. Farmers and organizers say the center is designed to anchor the North End while also serving nearby neighborhoods from Rosedale Park to Southwest Detroit…