Editorial: Namdar needs to sell Pittsburgh Mills

Is there a big sale coming at the Pittsburgh Mills mall?

Maybe, but at just 35% occupancy of the 900,000-square-foot building, don’t expect it at a store.

No, the “everything must go!” moment appears to be for the property itself. Area Realtors have received an email from Namdar Realty Group Chief Operating Officer Dan Dilmanian.

The property isn’t outright listed, but the email suggests the company is “quietly exploring” selling the mall — and is offering a market fee to the broker who makes it happen.

Good.

There were rave reviews and high hopes when The Galleria at Pittsburgh Mills opened in 2005, with a full-service mix of retail and entertainment. Where else could you golf, bowl, go to the movies, get a coffee, pick up some cute clothes, zip-line and play video games all under one roof?

But some major retailers — like Borders and Sears Grand — experienced financial struggles between 2007 and 2015. As they closed their Mills locations, the mall’s bottom line was affected until the property went into foreclosure in 2017. Namdar acquired it for $11 million in 2018.

You could say the property has been quietly neglected over the past seven years, but that would ignore the sighs of disappointment and the howls of rage over the deteriorating parking lot and roads.

There have been lawsuits, such as Frazer supervisors suing for $4.5 million in road repairs. The abysmal roads also have prompted lawsuits from Walmart and Sam’s Club trusts for breach of contract.

There are almost 200 citations from the township for violations. The Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office charged a Namdar subsidiary with creating a public nuisance. A court date on those charges is pending.

The location is literally at the intersection of where people are, where they want to be and where they need to go. That’s why the dangerously unkept roads are such a problem.

While malls themselves have been failing, the Mills area has remained a hub, with traffic simply moving to freestanding structures instead of under the mall roof.

So, if Namdar doesn’t want to take responsibility for its property, it should sell it to someone who will.

Sell it to someone who pays attention to the needs of the customers and the tenants. Sell it to someone with enough interest to explore options. Sell it to someone with the creativity to do more than cash rent checks. Sell it to someone who understands the simple math of a paved road allowing paying clients access.

Locals might have to understand this could mean a very different Mills. Maybe it won’t be retail. But will that matter if customers already are avoiding the area for fear of damaged tires and a ripped-off exhaust system?

But, Namdar, don’t bother with a whispering campaign to find a buyer. Put an ad in the classifieds. Stick a “for sale” sign in a rocky chunk of crumbled asphalt in the parking lot. How about one of those inflatable wind-sock figures from a car dealership? Grab some attention.

Just do it. Don’t wait for the Mills to become a derelict relic of itself, attractive only to those courting danger. We already do that on your roads.