Century III Mall To Be Demolished

PITTSBURGH, PA - Century III owners plan to demolish the virtually empty mall and construct a new mixed-use development that could include offices, residential units, a hotel, entertainment sites and other uses. The demolition plans were revealed in a U.S. District Bankruptcy Court filing on Friday, the Pittsburgh Business Times reported.

The mall's only remaining tenant, JCPenney, could remain under the plan.

Plans to tear down the mall come just days after the revelation that the mall's owners, Moonbeam Capital Investments of Las Vegas, have hired a former high-ranking Pittsburgh official and his company as consultants on a redevelopment plan for the nearly-abandoned mall.

McKnight Realty and its chief operating officer, Yarone Zober, will direct redevelopment efforts of the West Mifflin space. Zober is the former chair of the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh and was chief of staff to former Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl.

Century III opened in 1979 and arguably was western Pennsylvania's busiest mall during its 1980s heyday. Its decline was gradual, but the loss in recent years of anchors such as Macy's and Sears had a snowball effect and prompted many other businesses to exit.