Major investment coming to help rehabilitate former Century III Mall site
WEST MIFFLIN, Pa. (KDKA) -- State and local leaders announced on Thursday a major investment aimed at helping rehabilitate the former Century III Mall site in West Mifflin.
Pennsylvania Lieutenant Governor Austin Davis, Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato, state Senator-elect Nick Pisciottano, West Mifflin Mayor Chris Kelly, and representatives from Moonbeam Capital, the owners of the property, provided a look at the future of the property, with an estimated $15 million being spent to rehab the site. Officials said on Thursday that $1 million of that is coming from the Shapiro administration.
"Kind of a bittersweet day because the legacy of Century III mall is coming down," Mayor Kelly said.
Shawl Pryor, chief operating officer for Moonbeam Capital, said the property is roughly 90 acres, adding that the project "will not be one that is taken on by small groups. You're gonna have to work with a large development company."
Most likely, the area will be a blend of housing, retail, restaurants and more. It's still wide open, so no specifics were offered on Thursday, but talks have begun. In 18 months, this entire mall should be completely demolished.
Earlier this year, Pisciottano, then a state representative, announced that he had helped to secure $1 million in grant funding for the redevelopment of the mall property.
"This is a fantastic site," Pisciottano said. "We're really looking forward to finishing the deconstruction here and looking forward."
Century III Mall's history and surrounding court battles
The former mall, once the third largest in the world, opened in 1979 and was sold to Moonbeam in 2013. The company promised to revitalize it, but in 2019, the borough determined the building to be out of compliance and the mall closed.
West Mifflin Borough Council unanimously voted to condemn the property last year.
Court battles between Moonbeam and the borough forced a judge to order the two sides to work in good faith and get the building torn down.
That ruling came following several incidents where people were trespassing inside the building, including one where seven people were arrested.
In the wake of the judge's decision, Neiswonger put demolition equipment in place and started to tear down parts of the structure.
Incidents at the site of the former mall
In April of 2023, the mall was the scene of a fire investigated as arson. Investigators said they found accelerant present on some of the debris collected at the scene.
A YouTuber from Ohio and two other people he was with were charged with breaking into the mall later in 2023. 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.
In June of 2023, a teenager fell through the roof of the mall while filming a TikTok and was hospitalized. The West Mifflin police chief said he was charged with trespassing.
