Century III Mall owners fined $150K
WEST MIFFLIN, Pa. (KDKA) -- The owner of the former Century III Mall was ordered to pay $150,000 in fines to West Mifflin on Tuesday.
A judge imposed the penalty against Las Vegas-based Moonbeam Capital for three code violations: unsafe structures, sanitation problems and rampant weed growth.
Once the third biggest mall in the world and a retail wonder when it opened in 1979, the mall was sold to Moonbeam Capital Investments in 2013. The company promised to revitalize it, but in 2019, the borough determined the building to be out of compliance.
West Mifflin Borough Council unanimously voted to condemn the property in July, a decision that Moonbeam Capital has appealed.
In April of this year, the mall was the scene of a fire now under investigation as arson. Investigators said they found accelerant present on some of the debris collected at the scene. While fighting the fire at the nearly 1.3 million-square-foot building, one of the biggest concerns for first responders was whether anyone was inside the mall, a place known for squatters and drug activity.
A YouTuber from Ohio and two other people he was with were charged with breaking into the mall in May. Police said he filmed the break-in, and a Clairton man who was also allegedly exploring the mall that day with an unidentified woman was charged
And 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 since been charged with trespassing.
Moonbeam Capital now has 30 days to pay the fine or appeal the decision.
