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Century III Owners Insist They Haven't Given Up On The Mall

WEST MIFFLIN (KDKA) - When Century III Mall went into receivership several years ago, the mall seemed to be practically empty.

But with the loss of Sears in 2014 and now Macy's in the next month, leaving Penney's as the only anchor, the future seems up in the air to many.

But don't tell the new owners that.

Moonbeam Capital Investments, the Las Vegas company that purchased this mall three years ago, says it's not given up on this commercial space.

But it will look a whole lot different and a lot busier in the years ahead.

Moonbeam is looking on the bright side.

"It's a very small stumbling block for us," Shawl Pryor, Senior Vice President, told KDKA money editor Jon Delano on Monday.

Pryor says Moonbeam is in for the long-term and has re-thought its original views of the mall.

"We came in very naïve, thinking we could turn Century III around overnight," Pryor said.

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Instead, the mall may become part retail, part offices, part entertainment, and even include a hotel.

"We think that this could be a huge project for West Mifflin," says Pryor.

It's all good news for West Mifflin Borough manager Brian Kamauf, who sees Century III as important but just a part of ongoing development in the community.

"They're good things happening in West Mifflin. We're hoping some of it trickles down, gets a spark to the mall and they get on it a little sooner."

Kamauf says nearby Century Square is about to get a boost with a new Lowe's where Levin Furniture was once housed, and the first Panda Express nearby and a new first class movie theater where an old discount one used to be.

And, of course, the Route 51 corridor always seems busy, which is why the owners of Century III insist, "Jon, we have not given up on Century III."

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