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Eyesore parking lot could soon be brought back to life

PENN HILLS, Pa. — An old gas station in Penn Hills covered in trash and overgrowth is being called a community eyesore.

But local leaders are trying to breathe life back into the property.

"It's only going to get worse if we don't do that. Let's face it. It's a dumping ground," said Councilman John Petrucci.

The empty gas station sits at the intersection of Sandy Creek and Verona Road in Penn Hills.

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Debris is scattered all over the parking lot and weeds are overtaking old gas pumps.

"There's a lot of rubbish being dumped here, people are parking and now we have somebody who dropped a trailer and just left it there," Petrucci said.

The trailer is something Melissa Molyneaux, who works next door, noticed this week.

"It's a bit of an eyesore," she said. "We would like to see it be a little more beautified and have an opportunity for a business to come in or be used not as dead space."

Petrucci told Channel 11 the property's estimated value is more than $350,000.

"I would hope one of the big stores like Sheetz would possibly purchase this property, rehab it, and make it another vital point in Penn Hills," he said.

But until it's sold, he wants to block off the driveway so no one can get through.

"That is our goal, to get this gateway into Penn Hills cleaned up so it looks a lot better," he said.

The property will be put up for auction at a sheriff's sale later this year.