Is Century III Mall "lively and well" or is it on its last legs?

Mall marketing manager Christine Jamison, in a letter to the editor of the Post-Gazette published in the Jan. 24 edition of South said the mall is "lively and well" and that it is "very much business as usual there."

However, some 30 empty storefronts at the West Mifflin shopping complex seem to contradict that statement.

"We hear different things about the mall," said West Mifflin Manager Howard Bednar. "You hear, 'Oh it's doing good, it's going to be here.' Then you hear 'Oh it's going to close.' The only ones who truly know are the mall people."

Ms. Jamison could not be reached for comment beyond her letter. But Les Morris, a spokesman for the Simon Property Group, which owns Century III Mall, said the mall is trying to "address the level of vacancies through our leasing teams."

He said some of the vacancies could be seasonal. "It's the time of year for these things to happen. Leases end at the end of the year and at the first of the year retailers re-evaluate their plan and decide whether or not to stay open," Mr. Morris said.

Further muddying the waters is the fact that the mall owners have filed appeals of the property assessment in recent years and borough and school officials recently received reports that there may have been a significant assessment reduction from the $112 million to about $62 million.

But they are uncertain if the reduction actually took place. The Allegheny County Real Estate Web site lists the current taxable market value of the mall at $112 million. Mr. Bednar said the municipality would appeal any reduction in the assessment.

Mr. Morris said he could not comment on any assessment appeals that may have been filed by the mall, nor could he comment on reports that surfaced in March 2006 that the mall was up for sale.

People who have shopped at Century III over the years say they have noticed not only a decline in the number of tenants but also in the number of shoppers and in the appearance of the mall in recent years.

"It's dark, it's not well lit. The stores are boarded up and the roads and parking areas around the back are closed off," said Debbie Maiette, of Whitehall, who lives near the mall and has shopped there since it opened in 1979.

"I've seen that mall be built and also unfortunately I've been able to see that mall fall to pieces. There are a lot of things leaving and nothing to replace them," Miss Maiette said.

West Mifflin Mayor John Andzelik said the outside of the mall is not as well maintained as it used to be and that the roads around the complex are not in good shape.

Both the mayor and Miss Maiette, who wrote a letter to the editor that appeared in the Jan. 31 edition of South in response to Ms. Jamison's letter, said they have noticed a drastic drop in the number of shoppers at the mall.

"I go there three or four times a month and I talk to the store owners. You can just see that the foot traffic is not there. This is the slowest I've ever seen it," the mayor said.

He noted the fact that an Italian restaurant in the mall is closed on Sundays and Mondays is a sign that there is not a healthy amount of traffic there.

"Century III used to be 'the' destination, 'the' place to go. Sundays out there were always busy," Mr. Andzelik said.

The mayor said he believes competition from online shopping could be hurting the mall. He said that he worries that a lack of business could eventually hurt surrounding restaurants and other stores as well.

Robert Gold, senior vice president at the commercial real estate firm CB Richard Ellis, said the new development that is taking place in the corridors surrounding Century III Mall could be hurting the mall.

Along Route 51, he said there have been new banks, a food store, a dental clinic and a Chic-Fil-A open recently.

Chic-Fil-A is among the food establishments that closed at Century III Mall, and a large empty space exists on the third level from a dental clinic that closed.

In the area around Century III Mall there has been "a trend toward more convenience retail" meaning that shoppers don't want to walk through the mall to reach stores, but be able to drive directly to them, said Mr. Gold, who is currently trying to market the former Sam's Club building on Lebanon Church Road near the Allegheny County Airport.

Also, Mr. Gold said, it's not surprising that there are more vacancies at Century III Mall since it is larger than most of the other malls in the area.

Miss Maiette, along with the mayor, would like to do something to make the mall healthier. But they aren't sure where to start.

"I would be really willing to pitch in and spend some time in order to bring in some business and do whatever needs to be done. But there has to be some kind of incentive for people to come here," she said.