With some help from the Pendleton Development Commission, Joe’s Fiesta Family Mexican Restaurant will undergo some dramatic changes, inside and out.

Already approved for a $6,230 grant to cover 40 percent of the cost of a façade restoration, Joe’s Fiesta owner Joe Meda also received unanimous approval from the commission to use a $70,000 Jump Start loan to expand his restaurant into the neighboring storefront.

Meda originally intended to blast off the current façade to reveal the original brick underneath. But when contractors began removing the façade, the brick began to crumble along with it.

Meda received permission from the city to change the project and repaint the exterior instead, which will do away with the 322 S. Main St. restaurant’s unconventional color scheme.

When the project is completed, the building will no longer have the same yellow, red, green, and pink hues to it. And the centerpiece mural — an Aztec warrior standing on a mountain top — will also disappear.

Meda said that when he first started his business 18 years ago, he wanted to do anything he could to make Joe’s Fiesta stand out. He even thought about a painting of an indigenous Mexican that would complement the depictions of cowboys on the Hamley SteakHouse building down the street.

But the paint scheme and mural drew consternation from some residents, and now Meda is focused on making the building look closer to its historical heritage.

Meda has photos of the building from the early 20th century, when it appeared to be painted white, but he said he plans to paint the building in colors that match the façades belonging to the building’s neighbors — Sister’s Cafe and the Pendleton Music Co.

The outside isn’t the only place changes are being made to Joe’s Fiesta.

The $70,000 loan will be used to expand Joe’s Fiesta into the space next door, where Ooh La La Salon is now.

Meda said he expects the salon to move out in mid-March, and then he’ll begin work on turning the space into a cantina.

Although Joe’s Fiesta already serves alcoholic beverages, Meda said adults looking to unwind with a few drinks currently share space with families with young children.

The cantina will be a 21 and older area where customers can still order Joe’s Fiesta food and drinks in a more adult atmosphere.

Meda said he bought the bar from the recently closed Frontier Tavern and will also install televisions for sporting events, such as Monday Night Football and March Madness. Meda said he anticipates that the exterior and interior renovations will be done in May or June.

Other business

After meeting as the development commission, the Pendleton City Council reviewed a less-than-perfect audit.

The auditor identified two material weaknesses: expensing a water and stormwater infrastructure improvements project to the water fund when it should have been split between funds and submitting an essential financial assistance document that needed “significant corrections.”

The auditor also found that the city was out of compliance with the requirements of a state loan for water infrastructure improvements, having started a project before performing an environmental review.

Lastly, auditing firm Dickey & Tremper found that the city was mainly filing reimbursement requests for the loan after the projects were complete, causing improperly filed invoices. The council unanimously voted to accept the audit.