The run of addresses is short. The low brick plaza at 32716 to 32744 Franklin Road comes first. The Twist on Main is at 32750, and The Franklin Oyster Bar & Eatery is at 32760. In village records the plaza now carries a new name, Weatherly Plaza. The plans filed for it would give the village something it has never had: a second restaurant, on the same block as the first.
Franklin has long been a one-restaurant village. We wrote in September about what that rule has meant for Franklin Road. The Weatherly Plaza plans would put a restaurant, a take-out counter, a bodega and a frozen yogurt window within steps of The Franklin's door. If they go ahead, this block becomes a place for a short evening on foot instead of a single reservation.
Four storefronts, three new uses, one tenant staying put
The November 9 Village Council packet describes what the plaza's owners plan for the units that face Franklin Road. The building used to be called Franklin Plaza. The plan has three parts:
| Part of the building | Planned use, per the village packet |
|---|---|
| Franklin Road frontage | A restaurant |
| Restaurant annex | A take-out operation and a small bodega selling beer and wine, among other items |
| Separate unit | A frozen yogurt shop |
| Rear of the building | IME Vintage, which stays |
The frozen yogurt shop would have its own window on the building's north wall. The October 7 Historic District Commission minutes say that window is meant for walk-up frozen yogurt. That sets up a small comparison next door. The Twist on Main is listed in the Main Street Franklin directory as a seasonal ice cream, pastry and coffee shop. A frozen yogurt window a few doors away would put two places for a cold treat on one block.
The tenant that stays is worth knowing about if you haven't found it yet. IME Vintage sells vintage home goods and books at 32722 Franklin Road. It is open by appointment only, and requests go to [email protected]. Its shop is at the back of the building, and the new uses fill the frontage.
The minutes list Steve Carrow, Andrea Weatherly and Mike Gonzolez as the representatives who presented the project to the Historic District Commission.
The facade the commission has already approved
Franklin's commercial strip sits inside the village's historic district, so the exterior has to go through the commission. At its October 7 meeting the commission approved most of the visible changes, all by unanimous vote.
Here is what that means from the sidewalk:
- Paint. The walls will be Farrow & Ball Wimborne White No. 239, with trim in Farrow & Ball Mouse's Back No. 40.
- Front windows. New wood windows by Weather Shield.
- Awnings. Awntech Savannah awnings in brown and tan acrylic, which the project deck calls striped.
- Doors. Matching traditional doors in wood and glass, each with a large clear-glass upper panel and a raised-panel lower section. The commission approved five Prestige Entry six-light, one-panel mahogany doors with true divided lights, painted Mouse's Back.
- Rooflines. The two gable structures on the west-facing wall come off. The wall and parapet will be rebuilt in matching brick and raised three feet. The minutes describe the roof work as necessary to stabilize the structure.
- The south side. The air conditioning units on the south wall are being removed. The existing metal windows there will be stripped, refinished and reglazed.
According to the project deck, the proposal "updates deteriorated elements while retaining and restoring existing historic fabric where practical." Taken together, these changes give the plaza a warmer, more traditional storefront that matches the materials of the historic district around it.
Why the address next door matters
A new restaurant would carry less weight on this block if the restaurant next door were ordinary. The one next door is the Free Press's top pick. In February the Detroit Free Press named The Franklin Oyster Bar & Eatery No. 1 on its 2026 Best New Restaurants and Dining Experiences list. Lyndsay C. Green wrote in that piece:
"If you believe in fate, you might say the plans for The Franklin Oyster Bar and Eatery were inscribed on its bones."
The "bones" were the old Franklin Grill. In 2024 Eater Detroit reported that Jay Farner, managing partner of Ronin Capital Partners, was converting the former Franklin Grill into The Franklin, with Nick Geftos as executive chef.
That history explains the shape of what's coming. Even in its best year, Franklin's dining has meant one room on one corner. With a second restaurant and a take-out counter a few doors away, a table at The Franklin no longer has to be the whole plan for the evening. The block could hold dinner at one place and dessert at another. You could stop at the bodega on the way home without moving the car. Further down the road, the Main Street Franklin directory lists Sens Commons and its cafe at 32644 Franklin Road, described as an espresso cafe and wine bar. All of these places sit within a few hundred address numbers of each other.
Beer and wine to go, and what the license actually covers
The bodega depends on a state license, and the village's part in it is a recommendation, not a permit. On November 2, Franklin's Liquor Control Committee reviewed a request from SS&L Holding at Weatherly Plaza, 32744 Franklin Road, for a Specially Designated Merchant license. It recommended that the council support the request. The council's November 9 agenda included a resolution expressing that support. If adopted, the resolution would go to the Michigan Liquor Control Commission.
According to the Michigan Liquor Control Commission, an SDM license allows retail sales of beer, wine and mixed spirit drinks in their original containers for consumption off the premises. In practical terms, that means sealed bottles and cans to take home, not drinks poured at a counter. The village resolution itself states that it does not constitute issuance of the license. The decision belongs to the state.
What still has to come back before the commission
The October approvals covered the facade but left the newest part of the design, the walk-up window, still to be decided. The commissioners had no issue with the concept for the north wall. Chair Witty said the concept could be approved, but examples of the materials would have to be submitted.
What's settled and what's still open, in order:
- Approved October 7. The north-wall alterations, which include closing the second window to the east and turning the easternmost window into a sliding access door. That door still has to come back to the commission for approval.
- Still to come. Material samples for the door and window that will serve walk-up frozen yogurt.
- Next public meeting. The Historic District Commission meets next on December 2 at 7 p.m.
- Next council meeting. The Village Council meets December 14 at 6 p.m. at Franklin Village Hall, Broughton House, 32325 Franklin Road.
Weatherly Plaza isn't the only storefront on the commission's list. The November 4 HDC agenda also included a ground sign and sandwich board for the barber shop at 32751 Franklin Road.
The walk across 13 Mile is part of the same conversation
A block worth walking raises the question of how people get to it on foot. At the October 12 council meeting, Councilmember Sulaka said the infrastructure committee wants to hear how residents get across 13 Mile Road between the south end of the village and the north. She suggested starting with crosswalks before taking on the more expensive sidewalk project along 13 Mile. President Goldberg noted that any 13 Mile project will need the involvement of the Oakland County Road Commission. 13 Mile Road safety projects were on the November 9 agenda again.
Crosswalks and a frozen yogurt window are separate items on separate agendas. Both come down to whether people can reach this stretch of Franklin Road on foot, and right now the village is working on both. To follow either one, the December 2 commission meeting and the December 14 council meeting are the next public dates. The village posts both schedules on its own meeting pages, and our Franklin neighborhood page covers the rest of the village.
A changing storefront block can affect the value of nearby homes. If you own a home within walking distance of Franklin Road and want to know how a busier block might factor into your property's value, Crain Homes can talk it through with you privately. Request a Confidential Valuation and we will walk you through it.
