Rosati, partner of Brkovich to bring Distillery Square ‘animated’ to Walkerville

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Prominent local business leaders Mike Brkovich and the Rosati Group are partnering on an ambitious multi-use development that is expected to transform the commercial hub of Walkerville into the Distillery District envisioned by city politicians.

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The Distillery Square project focuses on two massive 130-foot-tall red brick warehouses, built in the 1940s to store Hiram Walker and Sons’ whiskey, which Brkovich bought 25 years ago.

The society recently acquired several other properties in the Wyandotte Street East and Argyle Road area, including the former Walter D. Kelly Funeral Home on Wyandotte and Devonshire Road, a commercial building on Wyandotte and Argyle, the former Royal Canadian Legion Branch 12 in Argyle and Brant Street, and the Strathcona commercial / residential building on the northwest corner of Wyandotte and Devonshire, where renovations are underway and one tenant, Twisted Apron restaurant, is already registered.

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At the shelf warehouse site, the plan is to connect the two warehouses with a new building, build another, and create a pedestrian plaza in between, according to Tony Rosati, who runs the local business with his brother Nick. A small parking garage is also planned.

Uses will include loft-style condos and apartments, offices and commercial space, restaurants, a boutique hotel, and spaces for street vendors and food trucks, he said.

“We are looking for a lively environment where people just want to come and enjoy the night,” he said. He was unable to say how much the ambitious project will cost.

“We are still analyzing the general concept and adjusting it. We will have more information that will be released at the end of the year, ”Rosati said, expressing hope that construction can also begin by the end of the year.

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Rosati said it is clear that Walkerville is a “hot” place, a place where people want to live and hang out. Just nine months ago the MSN.com The website listed it as one of the coolest neighborhoods in North America.

“My brother and I always had an interest in Walkerville and the relationship with Mike (Brkovich), he obviously has a great terrain component and those buildings have a great historical look. We are big fans of history and of preserving history and improving what we have ”.

When asked what they were planning for the large and prominent funeral home, Rosati said they were still working on the concepts.

Brkovich owns about eight historic properties in Walkerville that he bought largely during economic downturns when prices were low. The warehouses have been empty, but he has used the outdoor parking area for an auto export business he owns.

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“Several developers approached me (over the years) to develop the properties and I really decided when Tony and his brother Nick approached me to consider a partnership because they were aligned with what I thought should be there,” Brkovich said. .

“It will be unique and will have many different components,” he added, including the boutique hotel that he believes will appeal to tourists who are not interested in traditional national chains.

The residential units, he added, will appeal to people who want to live in Walkerville but have been hampered by a lack of new homes. “I believe that with these real estate values ​​on the rise in Windsor and Essex County, where values ​​have been stagnant for years, a development like this can be successful now.”

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Brkovich owns the Walkerville Brewery and the former Hiram Walker warehouse in which it is located. That operation will remain and become a critical component for overall development, he said. The project will also be included in the Distillery District plan that the city has been developing with the help of consultants, with a trail leading to Riverside Drive and the riverfront.

The final Distillery District plan, which includes about 10 improvements, from better connections to parks and riverfront paths, to creating an urban plaza, will soon go to council, which approved $ 5 million for the division into districts.

Brkovich said that he and the Rosati were delighted when they saw the concept of the city. “We take the leadership of the city and expand it.”

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Mayor Drew Dilkens said this is just the kind of project the city hoped would unlock the district building strategy.

“I know Mike Brkovich. When he says he’s going to do something, he totally supports it, ”Dilkens said. “And the Rosati have a great history of many wonderful developments.

“And I think two of those parties together will do great things in Walkerville.”

County District 4. Chris Holt said retailers and restaurant owners are “incredibly excited” about where he is beginning to take the district plan to the neighborhood.

“For developers like Brkovich and Rosati to come and see that the city is committed to a neighborhood and committed to spending some money there and focusing on the real public realm, that should give them a lot of confidence to go ahead with a mega-investment like what they are doing, ”he said.

“They are taking advantage of what the city plans to do with its own private investment, which is more or less what we seek to achieve here.”

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