Hearing set on whether Century III should be condemned

A condemnation hearing has been set for June 14 in West Mifflin to examine the condition of the former Century III Mall.

Borough officials will take testimony from the building inspector and property owner of the mall that closed in 2019 and its state of disrepair. Findings from the 4:30 p.m. hearing in council chambers will be forwarded to borough council for potential action.

A borough councilman told the Tribune-Review at the time of an April 11 fire that the condition of the mall is bad and that it continues to be an eyesore. The fire reportedly started on the third floor in a storefront. It caused dense smoky conditions for first responders.

The 1.3-million-square-foot mall opened in 1979 and was sold to Las Vegas-based Moonbeam Capital Investments LLC in 2013. West Mifflin officials said in 2018 the company has not followed through with revitalization promises.

The building was scheduled for sheriff’s sale several times and Moonbeam filed for bankruptcy in 2018. In the bankruptcy filing, the mall owed between $1 million and $10 million to almost 50 creditors.

Part of the mall was closed in 2019 by borough officials who deemed the property “unsafe and uninhabitable” because of broken water and fire suppression systems.

The company promised in court documents to demolish the building and make way for a possible mixed-use development over five years. It’s unclear if that plan is still in the works.

The bankruptcy case was closed in April 2021, according to federal court records.

In a final decree, mall officials said they had made $1 million in payments to satisfy debts and planned to continue making payments. The decree was approved by a judge.