Plans for Custard and Coffee Shop on 12th St. Appear Uncertain as Property Hits Market
A project once envisioned for the northeast corner of 12th and Hampshire included the return of Deters Frozen Custard, coffee offerings and a multi-tenant commercial development. More than two years later, the site is now listed for sale.
QUINCY, Ill. Plans for a new frozen custard and coffee destination at 12th and Hampshire appear to have stalled, with the property identified for the proposed development now back on the market.
The project was publicly reported in 2024, when the Herald-Whig detailed plans for a new Deters Frozen Custard location that would combine frozen custard with coffee and other specialty drinks. Quincy Current credits that original reporting for bringing the project to public attention. Herald-Whig: Deters Frozen Custard will marry coffee and ice cream on 12th Street
The proposed development was planned for property at 200-208 N. 12th Street and 1215 Hampshire Street, at the northeast corner of the intersection.
City records show the project advanced through Quincy’s approval process in June 2024. The City Council considered and ultimately approved a special-use permit for a multi-tenant commercial development at the site. The plan included a drive-through and required several zoning accommodations because of the property’s D2 downtown commercial designation.
At the time, plans called for businessman Jason Deters to develop the approximately 17,000-square-foot site. Reporting from 2024 indicated that the development was expected to include Deters Frozen Custard, Deters’ 3D Windows and Siding business and space for another commercial tenant.
The proposed custard business was expected to be more than a traditional ice cream shop.
Plans discussed at the time included espresso drinks, dessert beverages, European-style coffee and ice cream combinations and affogatos, which combine ice cream or gelato with espresso. Farmhaus Coffee Company owner Jess Duncan was also expected to be involved in helping operate the food and beverage portion of the development.
The project would also have marked the return of the Deters Frozen Custard name to Quincy after an absence of several years.
Property Now Listed for Sale
More than two years after those plans were announced, Quincy Current noticed a significant change while reviewing local commercial real estate listings.
The property at 200-208 N. 12th Street is currently listed for sale for $175,000.
The Realtor.com listing describes the property as approximately 0.39 acres, comprising two parcels at the highly visible 12th and Hampshire intersection. The listing was most recently updated Aug. 26 and remains active.
Perhaps most notably, the listing itself references the earlier project.
It states that the seller had previously obtained city approval for a proposed drive-through development, while advising prospective buyers to independently verify whether those approvals remain valid and what development requirements would apply.
The property was placed on the market in late August 2026.
A Prominent Corner Still Waiting for Development
The property occupies a visible corner just north of downtown Quincy and has previously received city approval for a commercial project incorporating a drive-through.
Its current listing continues to advertise that development potential rather than presenting the site as tied to a particular business concept.
Whether another developer could eventually make use of the previous approval, pursue a modified project or start over with an entirely different concept would depend on city requirements and the terms of any future development proposal.
For now, though, residents who had been anticipating a return of Deters Frozen Custard, combined with a new coffee concept, have reason to question whether that particular vision for the corner will ever be built.
The plans once appeared to be moving steadily through City Hall.
Today, the property where they were supposed to become reality carries a for-sale listing instead.
