Long-vacant former JCPenney site in Lower Burrell purchased by O'Hara electric supply firm

The eyesore of Lower Burrell, the old J.C. Penney building in the Burrell Plaza along Leechburg Road, has a new owner after sitting vacant for more than 17 years.

Schaedler Yesco, an electrical distribution and supply company in O’Hara’s RIDC Park, plans to renovate the nearly 185,000-square-foot building and open in summer 2023, company officials said.

City Councilman Chris Fabry announced the sale during council’s Monday night meeting. He and Councilman David Stoltz have been working together to draw more businesses to the city.

“We are incredibly confident that this is the first of many big wins for the City of Lower Burrell and our residents, and we’ll continue to update you as things progress,” Fabry said.

Burrell Plaza once was part of a busy shopping corridor along Leechburg Road that brought shoppers to Lower Burrell from throughout the Alle-Kiski Valley. Roughly half of the plaza contained J.C. Penney and the other portion was a Montgomery Ward department store.

It bolstered the shopping district, which already included the nearby Hillcrest Shopping Center. J.C. Penney’s, as it was known earlier, had moved across the street from Hillcrest. JCPenney then moved to the Pittsburgh Mills mall in Frazer in 2005.

Ryan Jones, executive vice president of the family-owned business, could not disclose the final sale price yet, as the real estate deal will close in June. The plaza’s owner, Widewaters of Syracuse, N.Y., and Newmark Real Estate had the site listed for $2.4 million.

“There will be a design and remodel phase,” Jones said. “We’ll make it a great place.”

The business will serve contractors and others in the electric industry.

“Besides filling a long empty space,” Stoltz said, “another good part of the deal is that Schaedler Yesco will bring a lot of people to the city who otherwise would have no reason to come here, including employees and contractors.”