The Monroeville Mall could soon be coming down and become a thing of the past.

Walmart purchased the mall in January through the company South Saturn Ridge LLC for a price of $34 million. The property they purchased includes the main mall building that first opened in 1969, the adjacent strip mall, and the expansion near the front entrance, and the land parcels for Best Buy and Firestone.

The company recently applied for $7.5 million in state grant funding that would be used to tear down the existing mall structures to make way for redevelopment.

In the application for the grant money, the company says the redevelopment would include new retail, restaurant, and entertainment spaces, as well as a public open space for community use.

Bryan Kiger, the co-owner of Pickle Parlor, an autonomous pickleball facility, says they've been open since February. They moved into the former Ulta. 

"We've got a lot of technology built into this space," Kiger said. 

The news also caught people at Spectra Dolce off guard. Business owners told KDKA-TV that Walmart's contact with them has been scant. 

"We really just learned a few days ago that the plan is, in fact, a demo of the mall," said owner Rick Murray. 

Monroeville Mayor Nick Gresock said the public will see more information on the redevelopment plans before any votes. He said there will be a community open house and a public forum "to show their ideas." No timetable was given for when those could happen.

The mayor added that he has seen some "early sketches" that are "preliminary, nothing official." 

"Right now, they are having a challenging time with the existing tenants that are there," the mayor said. "It's taking way longer than what they expected."

David Wang, owner of Saga Hibachi Steakhouse & Sushi Bar at the mall, said he's open to joining the new redevelopment project if they're not willing to cover much of the relocation cost.

In July, he and a small group of tenants holding longer leases met with a representative of Cypress Equities, Walmart's partner on the project. Wang said he was told that he had until the end of April 2027 to vacate to make room for a Sam's Club and a Walmart, among other amenities. 

Walmart said the redevelopment would include new retail, restaurant and entertainment spaces. Walmart said it remains very interested in the redevelopment of the mall, but it says it doesn't have any plans to share at this time.