The Parkwood Civic Association met on Feb. 25, discussing the recent fire that has temporarily closed Franklin Mall.
The mall posted the following statement on its website and Facebook page:
“Franklin Mall is temporarily closed following a small fire that occurred on Saturday, February 21, 2026, within a single tenant space. There were no reported injuries. As standard practice the City of Philadelphia Department of Licenses & Inspections (L&I) issued a temporary closure notice while required inspections are completed to ensure building safety and building structural integrity. In tandem, management immediately engaged licensed professionals and qualified vendors to evaluate the affected area and confirm that all life-safety systems are fully operational.
“Our team is working closely with city officials to complete all necessary inspections and secure the approvals required to safely reopen the property as quickly as possible. The safety of our tenants, employees, and visitors remains our top priority.
“Management is in regular communication with tenants and stakeholders and will continue to provide updates as additional information becomes available about the reopening.”
The mall posted this follow-up statement:
“Franklin Mall will reopen effective Friday, February 27, 2026 for normal operating hours following a temporary closure due to a small fire that occurred on Saturday, February 21, 2026, within a single tenant space. There were no reported injuries. As standard practice, the City of Philadelphia Department of Licenses & Inspections (L&I) issued a temporary closure notice while required inspections were completed to ensure building safety and building structural integrity, and following this due diligence Franklin Mall has officially been granted permission to reopen from the City of Philadelphia Department of Licenses & Inspections.
“Our team has worked closely with city officials and qualified vendors throughout this process to complete all necessary inspections and secure the approvals required to safely reopen the property, as the safety of our tenants, employees, and visitors is our top priority. Management is grateful for the patience of all tenants and the community while our team worked tirelessly to ensure a safe reopening. While Franklin Mall is reopening, Management requests the community’s patience with the property’s appearance while teams are actively making repairs to the affected areas within the mall while preserving a safe environment for shoppers.”
The mall website noted that Walmart, Marshalls/HomeGoods and Dave & Buster’s remained open for business while the rest of the shops were closed.
The once-flourishing mall is for sale, with its future use up to a new owner.
Meanwhile, Patti Leneghan, an aide to state Rep. Martina White, distributed a PennDOT news release about the federally funded Byberry Road over CSX Bridge Replacement Project. PennDOT selected a contractor for the nearly $18.5 million project. Two lanes of traffic will remain open at all times. After construction, the bridge will provide one 11-foot lane in each direction, a 10-foot right-turn lane and 6-foot sidewalks.
To avoid affecting the MaST Charter School parking garage, retaining walls will be constructed on the west side of the roadway.
New traffic signals and lane markings will be installed at the intersection with the driveways for MaST and the post office.
The project will begin this winter and be completed in the winter of 2030.
Parkwood Civic Association will meet on Wednesday, March 18, at 7:30 p.m. at St. Anselm parish hall, 12670 Dunks Ferry Road. ••
