DA: County Still Pressing Century III Owners

Last remnants of mall coming down this spring, Zappala says

By Yousuf Lachhab Ibrahim
The Tube City Almanac
January 15, 2026
Posted in: State & Region

Video provided by Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen Zappala Jr. shows the deteriorated condition of Century III Mall in West Mifflin. Footage provided by Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen Zappala Jr.

A Sears building is all that remains of the Century III Mall that was condemned in 2019 and Allegheny County’s district attorney said this week he will continue to press the property’s owners to make good on its promises.

At a press conference Wednesday, District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr. said that he will also fight to make Century III Mall Pa. LLC pay the cost of repairing the Century III Mall Boulevard that has fallen into disrepair.

Zappala in January 2024 filed criminal charges against the reputed owners of the mall in West Mifflin, which closed in 2019. Built in the late 1970s, the mall was once one of the largest in the United States, with four department stores and 200 other shops.

Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen Zappala Jr. provides an update on the demolition of Century III Mall (Yousuf Lachhab photo for Tube City Almanac)

Zappala said the mall’s owners have paid the entire cost of demolishing the vacant structure so far, without a single cent paid by county taxpayers. The former Sears, Roebuck & Co. building is expected to come down by spring.

“The defendants have an obligation to maintain and take care of that access road,” said Zappala, “And I intend to make sure that they live up to their obligation.”

As far as criminal proceedings go, the DA has said that it is in the hands of Judge Jill Rangos. It may take a month or two for that decision to materialize, but Zappala has stated that he has been pleased with the way things have gone so far.

A developer is interested in the former Century III Mall site and has presented a possible development scenario. Zappala said there are currently no red flags raised by the developer or his plan, but that officials will work to hold the property owners accountable to the community. (Image courtesy Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen Zappala Jr.)

Steven J. Panko, former owner of V-Land Corporation and current owner of Key Development Partners, is reported to be in talks with Century III Mall Pa. LLC about buying the property and developing it, Zappala said.

Prior to the 2008 financial crisis, V-Land Corporation completed $600 million worth of development deals. After V-Land went bankrupt, Panko founded Key Development Partners. Zappala said he has not found anything about Panko that raises doubts about his ability or willingness to redevelop the site.

Century III Mall was purchased by a company called Moonbeam Capital in 2013, but Moonbeam has since said in court filings that it no longer owns or controls the mall property and that Century III Mall Pa. LLC is a separate entity.

In 2023, the mall saw a fire break out in what investigators deemed to be arson. Shortly afterwards, a teenaged urban explorer fell through a hole in the roof and had to be taken to the hospital.

Dan Davis, West Mifflin council vice president, said that the mall was once assessed at a value of about $100 million. “Right now, I think it’s assessed at under $2 million. If you look at the tax (impact) that that has had on our community, it is tremendous,” he said.

Davis emphasized the problem with the connector road, which has become so unusable that it has pushed unanticipated amounts of traffic towards Wal-Mart. “The road is probably the thing I heard most about [from the community]. People don't mind the mall going away,” he said.

West Mifflin Borough Manager Brian Kamauf expressed frustration when asked about dealing with the owners of the mall, but also expressed his thanks to DA Zappala and his team.

“We’ll hopefully get to the point with the help of Mr. Zappala to get something redone at that location, because it would be a great asset for not just West Mifflin but the region,” he said.

A Facebook page dedicated to Century III Mall has accumulated over 30,000 followers, with some posts receiving hundreds of sad and angry comments from Allegheny County citizens displeased with the state of the mall.

Little remains of what was once one of the largest shopping malls in the United States. (Image courtesy Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen Zappala Jr.)

Yousuf Lachhab Ibrahim is a freelance writer from Pittsburgh and a Penn State University graduate. He won a Golden Quill award for his work at the Penn State Greater Allegheny Gazette.

Originally published January 15, 2026.

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