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Sheriff's sale of Century III Mall postponed

WEST MIFFLIN, Pa. — A sheriff's sale of Century III Mall scheduled for Monday has been postponed.

The sheriff's sale of the mall, which has been in decline for years, was supposed to take place at the county courthouse.

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The Allegheny County Sheriff's Department didn't say why the sale was postponed, but did say a new date has not yet been set.

Notices of the sheriff’s sale have been posted at entrances to the mall since April.

“It's a shame. I grew up here, and I used to come here with my mom and my family,” said shopper Renae Johnson. “I used to come here weekly with my mom and family. It was the thing to do over the weekend.”

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The once-popular shopping destination is now nearly vacant, even losing anchor stores in recent years. So, the appearance of the sale notice didn't surprise many people.

Now, the question is what will happen to the mall site.

“It would really be nice if it could benefit the community as a whole,” Johnson said. “Not something that's going to become a torn-down nothing.”

Another shopper wants to see it remain a retail destination.

"I want to see a Bass Pro Shops move here, definitely," he said. "There are a lot of sportsmen in the area."

According to the county property assessor, the mall is valued at $11.5 million. In 2013, the mall was purchased by Moonbeam Capital Investments for $10.5 million.

Channel 11 News learned the mall had a $46,000 tax bill due at the end of April.

Because of the rise in online shopping, some said that buying a mall and replacing it with more of the same might not be the way to go.

"It's going to be a big gamble, I think," the shopper said. "I wouldn’t do it if it was my money."