West Mifflin council votes to condemn Century III Mall
WEST MIFFLIN, Pa. (KDKA) — The future of the Century III Mall has remained in question for years, but West Mifflin Borough Council determined its fate by voting unanimously to condemn the property.
It was expected that council members would decide the abandoned structure needs to come down, but it doesn't mean crews can immediately go in and demo it.
Councilman Dan Davis said it's a positive step forward.
"We're saying the building is uninhabitable right now," Davis said Tuesday. "We don't want another situation where we have someone in that building. We're trying to make it so no one wants to go in there."
In June, a teenager fell through the roof of the mall while filming a TikTok and was hospitalized. The West Mifflin police chief said he's been charged with trespassing.
Police also arrested three vandals in May and responded to an arson in April. Most recently, a YouTuber from Ohio and three other people were charged with breaking into the mall.
Jim Jasinski was born and raised in the borough and is sad to see what's become of a once-thriving business.
"That's disgusting. It really hurts. Even to ride on the streets around there, you need an army tank," Jasinski said.
However, after years of public complaining, he's happy to finally see progress.
"You see that there may be a little bit of light at the end of the tunnel, that there is some hope for the residents," Jasinski said. "It's a shame it took so long."
The property owner, Moonbeam, now has 30 days to appeal the condemnation. The possibility of an appeal, along with current litigation related to fines, limited what the solicitor and local leaders could share Tuesday. Earlier this month, a judge fined the company more than $240,000 for violating the borough's ordinances for unsafe structures, sanitation and more.
"Once we get past the 30 days, then we really get into the meat of it," Davis said.
The question remains, what comes next? It's expected to cost around $10 to $15 million to tear the structure down. The borough doesn't have to buy the building from the owner to do so. Davis said they plan to talk with county and state leaders about funding available for blighted properties.
Then again, Moonbeam could still look for a developer.
"They could still sell the property. We're not holding back from them in selling it and someone else demolish it," Davis said.
They've already tried this, the latest was Menard's, which fell through in February. Sources told KDKA-TV Moonbeam wanted $35 million, not including the cost of demolition.
However, based on the current conditions on the property including the roads, Davis is not hopeful. He added that while Moonbeam went through bankruptcy in 2018 and 2019, the property owners are current on their taxes.
"We don't want to foot the bill for this," Davis said.
KDKA-TV reached out to Moonbeam and the company's attorneys for comment but has not heard back at this time. At last month's public hearing, one of its lawyers claimed a structural engineer said the building is sound except for the area that caught fire in April.