The owners a former restaurant on Route 30 in North Huntingdon have asked a Westmoreland County judge to halt the dilapidated building's demolition.
The Rivertowne Pub and Grille building has been vacant since it shuttered in 2018. Township officials in 2021 condemned the property after inspectors declared the building to be unsafe. In January, North Huntingdon commissioners awarded a $23,30o contract to DJ Demo LLC to demolish the structure.
This week, the property owners filed documents seeking a preliminary injunction that if successful would temporarily halt the building's planned razing.
"Petitioner believes that the building is structurally sound and can be brought back to constructive use," according to the court filing.
Attorney P. William Bercik said architectural drawings were sent to the township in October as part of an application for building permit that would convert the existing structure to a new restaurant and bar with a larger enclosed area and an outdoor balcony.
Those plans addressed 30 issues identified by the township as part of its initial denial of the permit application, according to the lawsuit.
According to the court filing, the township rejected the application and failed to consider subsequent appeals that responded to concerns raised by zoning officials.
North Huntingdon manager Harry Faulk did not respond to a request for comment.
The Rivertowne Pub and Grille operated for decades before bankruptcy forced its closure along with sister locations in Verona, Monroeville and Pittsburgh, in 2018.
Businessman Prasad Margabandhu purchased the building through his business, Shivs Real Estate LLC of Mt. Lebanon in 2019, according to court records.
Margabandhu pleaded guilty last September to bankruptcy fraud and mail fraud related to a building he owned on Pittsburgh's South Side that was destroyed in a fire in June 2022.
According to court records, he was also charged in Allegheny County of illegal operation of a liquor establishment and related charges.
The North Huntingdon property was subsequently was sold again at a Westmoreland County Sheriff's sale in 2021 to 1318 Carson Streets LLC, a company that officials believe is owned by Margabandhu's brother, Sivram, who signed the sale document.
The township's condemnation order has since been upheld a Westmoreland County judge and a state appeals court.