Demolition of Washington Mall expected to cost $5.9 million
Washington Co. entering into cooperation agreement with Redevelopment Authority
Mike Jones/Observer-Reporter
A cooperation agreement between the Washington County commissioners and the Redevelopment Authority is paving the way for the demolition of Washington Mall.
The commissioners are expected to approve the agreement during their voting meeting this morning and allocate $5.9 million from the county’s blight mitigation fund to pay for the demolition this year.
The Redevelopment Authority of Washington County is overseeing the demolition and redevelopment of the defunct Washington Mall property, which has been in a state of decline for years and sat mostly empty for the past decade. County officials announced during their Real Estate Expo on March 12 that Costco would become the anchor tenant at the site as part of a redevelopment project spearheaded by Chapman Properties.
“We’re really excited about it,” commission Chairman Nick Sherman said Wednesday. “This is almost 20 years in the making of a dilapidated, blighted property that intersects (interstates) 70 and 79 that tens of thousands of people drive by every day. Instead of seeing an old mall, they’ll see a great, new building with Costco and all the other shops that will be there. It’s been a long time coming, and we’ve worked diligently on this.”
But for that to happen, the mall must first be demolished, which is no small task for the sprawling structure in South Strabane Township that was built in the 1960s.
Redevelopment Authority Director Bob Griffin said they expect to award the demolition contract by the end of the month, with the lowest bidder listed as Neiswonger Construction of Strattanville in Clarion County. Griffin said the demolition will likely begin later this summer and take about eight months to raze the mall.
“Like any older building, there are environmental issues that have to be dealt with, challenges you have to deal with, but none that weren’t known by the Redevelopment Authority going in,” Griffin said. “I think we’re in a good position to get that project going and revitalize that site.”
Early last year, the county commissioners put the Redevelopment Authority in charge of managing various demolition projects through its blight mitigation account that was funded with about $13 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act stimulus money. Sherman said the $5.9 million from the blight fund is an ideal use of the money because it will spur redevelopment at a site that had become an eyesore that many motorists on Interstate 70/79 see when traveling through the area.
“This is more than just going after dilapidated homes,” Sherman said. “This is about redevelopment and spurring economic development.”
A timeframe for construction on the new Costco is not known yet. A Campers Inn RV center is also slated to be built on the property, along with various other shops and businesses at the location.