Photo by Mike Jones The former JC Penney department store at the Washington Mall has been empty for the last decade after the mall in South Strabane closed in 2014. Washington County is planning to use blight mitigation funds to demolish the mall to spur new development at the site.

Washington Mall, which once was an economic beacon for the region when it opened in the late 1960s only to later fall into disrepair and be practically abandoned as store after store moved out, is being demolished soon to make way for a new development.

The Washington County commissioners announced Wednesday that they will be assisting with razing the old mall in South Strabane Township by using federal stimulus funds through the county’s blight mitigation program.

The county will be soliciting bids for demolition work to begin in the spring to get the sprawling parcel “pad ready” to bring development at the site nestled alongside the intersection of Interstates 70 and 79. The cost to raze the mall and prepare the site for development was not immediately known, but it will come from federal American Rescue Plan Act money earmarked for blight removal across the county.

“This has been a long time in coming,” commission Chairman Nick Sherman said, adding there have been conversations about a “big box” store possibly moving into the location. “We’ve had meetings ad nauseam over the last two years trying to cut through all the legalities with all the families owning it.”

Sherman was alluding to the fact the property is owned by a trust belonging to the family of mall developer Angelo Falconi, with the property in care of trustee Anthony Marinelli. But there has been an apparent agreement with Leetsdale-based Chapman Properties to demolish the mall and develop the property to attract a new tenant.

Tony Rosenberger of Chapman is spearheading the project and said he would be able to release information on a potential tenant at a later date. But for now, the work will remove the structure and any environmental issues to allow for a new retail development on the parcel.

“The bottom line is the mall is falling down and this will forever perpetuate its disappearance,” Rosenberger said. “(The county commissioners) have been instrumental in getting it torn down and getting this eyestore out of here.”

The mall opened in 1968 and boasted a variety of large retail stores and small businesses that brought customers to shop from across the region. But it fell into disrepair over the years as stores left and the mall formally closed in 2014, although some larger box stores facing the parking lot remain open for a time. Chain-link fencing has been set up around the majority of the property to keep the public out of the building, and photographs shared by the commissioners Wednesday showed the interior is no longer salvageable.

The only two remaining tenants are Grand China Buffet and Harbor Freight, although information was not released on what would happen to those two businesses once the mall is razed.

But the location has renewed interest after it was announced earlier this month that a recreation vehicle dealer and service center wants to locate at the former Toys ‘R Us and Giant Eagle locations. A developer called 79/70 Associates is scheduled to appear before South Strabane’s planning commission and the zoning hearing board next month to discuss that portion of the project.

The Redevelopment Authority of the County of Washington is overseeing the demolition of the mall through its blight mitigation program, which Executive Director Bob Griffin said is a “textbook project” for the funds.

“The project aligns very well with what our purpose is here for redevelopment to revitalize and redevelop properties like these, especially with how long it has been in disrepair,” Griffin said.

Meanwhile, Sherman said the county is hopeful that location can once again be an economic driver for the region once the dilapidated and neglected structure is removed.

“By early spring, you’ll see wrecking balls swinging and excavators grabbing things,” Sherman said.