Stephen Zappala, the district attorney for Allegheny County, has declared that he will bring a criminal case against the owners of Century III Mall.
The owner of the property that closed in 2019 is Moonbeam Capital, a Las Vegas-based company. To remodel it, they purchased the mall several years ago, but they never got around to it.
Zappala listed hundreds of instances of people breaking into abandoned malls during a press conference on Tuesday morning. “This is a monument to blight,” he remarked, referring to the owners’ lack of plans to repair the property.
The charges against Century III Mall PA LLC include making a public nuisance and causing or risking a catastrophe. The allegation is a misdemeanor.
“They’ve abandoned this property for all intents and purposes; it’s evident that they have no intention of doing anything with it as it stands,” Zappala added.
The County Court of Common Pleas will seize possession of the property and pursue demolition, according to Zappala, following the filing of the charges and the restraining order on Tuesday.
Zappala thinks demolition might start in the following two to three months after clearing the required red tape. A fire broke out at the mall in April of last year, and the owners were punished with fines.
Vandalism and trespassing have increased significantly; YouTubers have even been known to enter the premises to film material.
The 1979-opened mall closed its doors for good in 2019.
