Judge fines owner of Century III Mall $150K for rampant safety hazards

[FakeNoose]

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette link: https://www.post-gazette.com/business/development/2023/10/17/century-iii-moonbeam-mall-west-mifflin-safety-hazards/stories/202310170101

A county judge has ruled that the owner of Century III Mall [West Mifflin, Allegheny County] must pay $150,000 in fines to West Mifflin Borough for failing repeatedly to remediate a litany of safety hazards.

Common Pleas Judge Thomas E. Flaherty imposed the penalty against owner Moonbeam Capital at a hearing Tuesday morning for three code violations: unsafe structures, sanitation problems and rampant weed growth. Judge Flaherty lowered the fines from $240,000, first ordered in July by a district judge.

Butch Anthony, the borough’s community development director, said he was “unsatisfied” by the outcome. Borough representatives had asked the judge to raise the fines to $324,000 as Moonbeam has failed to pay the original fine or address the violations first cited three months ago. The mall’s condition has only worsened since summer. In August, the roof caved in where a fire had raged in April, leaving piles of debris. The collapse occurred just weeks after a teenage trespasser fell through the roof and sustained serious injuries.

A separate case over the mall’s condemnation status is ongoing, with a closed hearing scheduled for next Monday. Local officials hope that case will lead to demolition, which they estimate would cost $10 million to $15 million. Borough council voted to condemn the structure in July, citing myriad hazards, including collapsed roofs, rampant mold and broken glass throughout the building.

- more at link -

I can remember back to the late 70's and early 80's when Century III Mall was the pride of western Pennsylvania. Now it's an empty, collapsing hulk that's a fire hazard as well as an attraction to homeless people and trouble makers. Moonbeam Capital purchased this mall and allowed it to disintegrate through neglect. It should be on them to cover the costs of tearing it down.

[bucolic_frolic]

1. Our biggest growth industry will be recycled concrete /nt

[Chainfire]

2. Capitalism: Suck all the value out of something and leave it rotting for the taxpayer's dollars

to fix. If the owners have only two pennies to rub together, they should also be taken to demolish the property if need be.

[Stargazer99]

5. Maybe it is time to stop giving welfare to the well to do-how about some responsibility

from the business community instead of whining about the poor and working poor needing help or is that too damn hard to do?

[Chainfire]

7. I agree with you. However, those with the gold are making the rules through their purchase of

politicians. Nothing changes before election campaign finance reform. It is obscene how much money it takes to mount a successful political campaign in this country. The result of that is that no one can be elected, or reelected, to nationl office without being beholding to some business interest. The only thing Republicans have ever been right about is elections being "rigged." They are rigged long before the polls open.

[3Hotdogs]

3. I recall driving to N.J. from Wyoming, 2017. There was a mall with two store left open. One was

a Mexican restaurant.

Everything else was gaited off.

Some malls in N.J. are slated to be demolished and become housing. That is happening to a former, large Saks 5th Ave store in Springfield. It is nearly completed and looks like about 200 new housing units.

sales "welcome" sales sign just went up.

[FakeNoose]

4. Yes, the towns and boroughs have been derelict also

They've failed to push the mall owners and developers into keeping the properties up to snuff. They're better at nagging the neighborhoods into keeping their lawns cut. They don't know how to handle the $ multi-million projects when the bloom is off the rose.

[Stargazer99]

6. We as the common man can GET ToGETHER and fine the hell out of these bums

I am so damn sick of the taxpayer providing welfare for any business.