Future of Pittsburgh Mills mall property unclear after last-minute cancellation of sheriff sale

After the last-minute cancellation of the sheriff’s sale of the Pittsburgh Mills mall, the future of the property remains uncertain.

On Friday, owner Namdar Realty Group paid more than $11 million in special assessment bills, averting a sheriff sale that was scheduled for Monday. The sale was canceled once the bills were paid, according to the Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office.

But Namdar has been mum about its plans for the 200-acre site, which has lost a vast majority of its tenants over the years. The mall located in Frazer was built in 2005 and was acquired by Namdar in 2018.

Frazer Supervisor Bill Creevey said the township has not heard from Namdar on its plans for Pittsburgh Mills, and the New York-based firm has not been communicative at all with the local government.

“We have not heard or seen them from Day One,” Creevey said. “We have never seen them or ever met them. I have no idea what their plans are.”

Contacts left for Namdar and its public relations firm were not immediately returned.

Creevey said the township government wants to see a prosperous mall, and noted conditions at Pittsburgh Mills have deteriorated over the years. He said 75% of the mall is vacant, and he has received many complaints about conditions of the roads around the mall, which are the owner’s responsibility.

“Take a look at it. It’s not taken care of,” he said. “We want roads you can actually drive on. They have patched a pothole here and there, but they are still in horrible condition.”

The Frazer government initiated a sheriff’s sale process earlier this year because Namdar had not paid $11.5 million in special assessment fees on four properties: the mall building, the former Sears Grand and two other vacant commercial properties.

Supervisor Lori Ziencik said this week the township was optimistic to find a new owner who would revitalize the property. She has called Namdar an “absentee landlord.”

Similar disrepair elsewhere

The company owns several malls across the country and has garnered a reputation for letting large retail properties fall into disrepair.

Namdar owns the West Park Shopping Center in Mansfield, Ohio, and a recent inspection showed that some of the vacated units at that mall were becoming derelict, according to the Ohio-based Richland Source news site.

Mansfield Community Development & Housing Director Adrian Ackerman told Richland Source on Sept. 19 that some vacated units inside West Park needed significant repair work and were suffering from water damage from a leaking roof.

North Hanover Mall, a Namdar-owned property in York County, Pa., is largely vacant and had a fire in 2022 that caused over $1 million in damages, according to the Hanover Evening Sun. However, social media videos show the property is undergoing some construction.

Creevey said the previous owners of Pittsburgh Mills have had good relationships with Frazer. He said township attempts to contact Namdar have not been very successful.

He said he is still hopeful for a positive future for Pittsburgh Mills.

“I would like to see a prosperous mall, like it used to be when it first started,” Creevey said. “We don’t want to see it fall apart. That doesn’t help the community at all.”