Partway through the July 21 Franklin Park Planning Commission meeting, a commissioner asked how long the sign and the plantings in front of Franklin Inn had been there. Owner John Cibula said the sign dates to the 1950s and the landscaping to the 1970s, according to the meeting minutes. The question mattered because a required sidewalk would have meant tearing both of them out.
That exchange explains why the restaurant that calls itself Pittsburgh's oldest Mexican restaurant has been closed for most of a year. Franklin Inn is a decades-old restaurant on a wooded lot in a residential district, and fixing it meant fitting the old building to rules that were written long after it opened. When the borough worked through that, it was willing to bend almost every requirement except one.
The Night of December 17
The fire started just before 8 p.m. on December 17, 2025, at the Franklin Inn on Rochester Road. Diners and staff got out and no one was hurt, TribLive reported. WPXI's report that night said the fire began in the kitchen. TribLive later reported that the county ruled it accidental, caused by grease igniting during active cooking.
The restaurant's first statement estimated repairs would take at least a couple of months and said it expected to be back in 2026. Here is how the dates actually went:
- June 2026. The owners' first reopening target, according to WPXI's August update. They pushed it back to add accessible restrooms and a new kitchen.
- July 21. The Planning Commission reviewed land-development application LPF 26-07-01.
- August 19. Borough Council's agenda listed Resolution 1425-2026, which granted revised preliminary and final land-development approval with conditions.
- August 20. The restaurant posted on its Inn the Know blog: "We are approved! Thank you for your support. Renovations will begin soon."
- November. The target WPXI reported in August.
- End of 2026. The reopening goal now on the restaurant's website.
The target moved from early 2026 to the end of 2026. Every item on that list after the fire comes back to a single fact about 2313 Rochester Road.
A Restaurant in an R-2 District
The borough's August 19 Council agenda describes the project as an "addition, renovation and repair of an existing nonconforming eating place" at 2313 Rochester Road in the R-2 district. At the July meeting, Building and Zoning Official Tim Phillips confirmed the project is an expansion of a lawful nonconforming use. Put simply, the restaurant was there before the zoning around it, and it is allowed to stay. Growing it is a separate question, and that is what the fire forced.
Engineer Doug Tait of Tait Engineering told the commission the fire showed that the kitchen, stairways and bathrooms needed upgrades and that the building needed ADA access. He said the best way to do all of that was a rear addition plus accessible parking. The addition is two stories, with the new kitchen and restrooms on the main floor and new stairs down to a prep and storage level.
Tait called Rochester Road the "monkey wrench." The road has an 80-foot ultimate right-of-way, which on paper would put the building inside the right-of-way and push the parking spaces back. The lot also slopes down sharply from the road. ADA parking is limited to a 2 percent slope, so the accessible spaces had to go in the flattest spot, which is near the front door. The commission also asked for those spaces to be two feet longer.
Sean Hyde, who ran the meeting, said he had never seen a staff report or engineer review letter with so many outstanding items. A new building would have been designed around these rules from the start. An old building with an urgent repair had to argue its way through each one.
Three Requests, Two Yeses
The owners asked to be excused from three requirements that would normally apply. Here is how the Planning Commission voted on each:
| Requirement | The owners' case | Commission recommendation |
|---|---|---|
| Pave the whole lot | Full paving could make stormwater worse and would require a detention pond, which would cost trees on the wooded lot | Waive, approved |
| Landscaping and street trees | Street trees could block sight lines, and the large lot is already heavily wooded | Waive, approved |
| Sidewalk along Rochester Road | PennDOT permitting time, plus a sign, a telephone pole and landscaping where the sidewalk would go | Waiver rejected 5 to 1; developer's agreement recommended instead |
The paving waiver turned on drainage. Hyde called stormwater "a huge issue in the Borough" and asked where runoff from the current gravel lot goes now. Tait said the lot slopes toward the back, so the water runs into the woods behind the parking lot and the restaurant. Commissioners decided that keeping those woods did more for drainage than paving would.
The sidewalk was a different matter. Commissioner Robert Schupansky said the commission had been "slowly piecing together connectivity with sidewalks" over his 20 years on the board. He said he didn't want to delay the reopening but wanted the sidewalk built. Hyde added that a sidewalk along Rochester Road is an action item in the borough's Comprehensive Plan and a top priority. Phillips suggested the walk could run in the road right-of-way and curve around the sign and the pole. Solicitor Anna Hosack suggested a developer's agreement, so the sidewalk could be built later without holding up the rest of the construction. Cibula told the board they could work it in and install a sidewalk somehow.
So the borough was flexible about trees and asphalt on a lot it saw as already doing its job. It held firm on the one item that connects the restaurant to the rest of Rochester Road.
What the Neighbors Said in the Room
Most public comment that night asked for speed. A resident of Shellburne Drive said a sidewalk in front of the Franklin Inn alone wasn't practical and shouldn't stop a restaurant "everyone wants open." Another longtime resident called the Inn a North Hills landmark and said she had always been able to walk to it from home.
A staff member of seven years told the commission that most employees are waiting to come back. She said some colleagues retired after 30 and 40 years there, and that the restaurant helped feed people during Covid. Another Oakleaf Lane neighbor said he supported the expansion and the reopening but asked that the zoning standards be upheld for fairness and that the wooded buffer between the restaurant and Oakleaf Lane be kept. A third neighbor said he uses the Inn as a landmark when giving directions to his house.
The commission's votes ended up close to that range of views. It waived the requirements that would have cost trees and kept the requirement that serves people who walk.
Margaritas in the Meantime
While the plans were in review, the Cibula family kept the restaurant's name in front of people. A June 4 blog post said John and Wendy Cibula and members of the crew would be at the Cranberry Town Square Farm Market most Fridays that summer, from 3 to 7 p.m. They brought a limited number of Almost House Margarita Kits. Each kit has a pint of mix plus salt and lime, and makes about four drinks when you add your own tequila or a zero-proof alternative. On August 3 the owners held a margarita pop-up selling premade mix and T-shirts. WPXI described the pop-up as a way to stay connected with the community.
The shirt is the Phoenix Toucan tee, with artwork by the owners' daughter Grace. Wendy and Grace also started Pantry + Palette, a $12-a-month mail club with U.S. shipping included. Each mailing has recipes or gardening ideas, Grace's art and a letter. In August, Cibula told WPXI:
"We appreciate all the support, and we can't wait to open up and see everyone again in the restaurant."
Where Things Stand on Rochester Road
The approval came through in August, renovations were set to start soon after, and the owners' stated goal is to reopen at the end of 2026. The restaurant has suspended gift card sales until closer to opening day, and online ordering is temporarily unavailable. For the reopening date itself, the owners point people to their Inn the Know blog, their mailing list and their Facebook page. The building that returns will have a new kitchen, accessible restrooms and parking near the front door. The Planning Commission also recommended a developer's agreement for a Rochester Road sidewalk, and the borough's zoning official suggested it could curve around the sign that has stood there since the 1950s.
If you own a home near a long-running business like the Franklin Inn, decisions like these at borough meetings can affect your street for years. Robin Taylor Homes follows them closely. If you'd like to talk through how a planning decision near your home might matter when you sell or buy, schedule a free consultation with Robin.
