Downtown Jackson entertainment entrepreneur John Burtka has revealed to JTV his plans for expanding his rapidly growing presence in Downtown Jackson. The former One Five One restaurant building has been purchased by Burtka, Dr. Nicholas Dyc and Downtown Development LLC in partnership with the Kincaid Henry development and construction firm. Burtka told JTV he has been working on acquiring the building for several months, which would become the third major project he is leading in the downtown district. Last month Burtka announced plans for a multi-story apartment building with first floor retail/urban grocery to be built on Glick Highway near Jackson Street. The Grand River Brewery was the first investment by the entrepreneur three years ago. The Brewery has expanded several times due to the popularity of the restaurant and the company’s Michigan-brewed craft beers.
The plans for the former One Five One building include a restaurant on the main floor. Burtka is collaborating with Justin Dalenberg, a former executive chef at Zingerman’s Roadhouse in Ann Arbor, to develop an exciting new restaurant that likely will focus on popular American fare and serve as a destination attraction. Dalenberg, a chef and restaurant consultant, is a graduate of Johnson and Wales University with more than two decades of experience in the hospitality industry.
The two upper floors will be developed as 12 apartments, 6 on each floor. The one-bedroom apartments are being described as executive high-end.
When the Grand River Brewery (originally Grand River Marketplace) opened in 2013, Burtka intended the establishment to be a focal point for urban re-birth. Since then, he has been exploring opportunities to continue the revitalization of Downtown Jackson. Burtka credited the Jackson Anchor Initiative and the City of Jackson for their assistance with his two latest projects.
Design plans for the new restaurant have been underway for about two months. The first floor space previously housed the short-lived One Five One Restaurant, which followed Daryl’s Downtown in a mostly successful twelve year run. The building was built by Jackson industrialist Wiley Reynolds in 1885. The name on the sketch, “McLellan’s” shows the building as it looked when McLellan’s five and dime store operated earlier in the last century.
The developers plan to restore the exterior of the building to its original appearance and completely gut the interior before building out the restaurant and apartments. Construction could begin as early as this summer, with completion by early next year.