A fence and “No Trespassing” sign are erected around the old Washington Mall as crews are expected to begin demolishing the dilapidated structure soon.
Demolition is expected to begin soon to raze the old Washington Mall in order to make way for a new development at the site.
Washington County officials are holding a groundbreaking ceremony Friday to formally kick off the demolition of the mall, which opened in the late 1960s but has mostly sat empty the last two decades, as preparations begin to start the removal process.
“We’re really excited for it,” Washington County Commission Chairman Nick Sherman said. “It’s a long time coming. It was a ton of work. A lot of times, constituents see politicians shoveling up a pile of dirt (for a groundbreaking ceremony) and don’t know all that went into it.”
Sherman said this has been months – if not years – in the making to finalize sale agreements to transform the dilapidated and mostly unused mall property into a shovel ready site that is expected to welcome a new Costco as the anchor tenant around other stores and businesses.
The Redevelopment Authority of the County of Washington is on the verge of finalizing a $5.9 million demolition bid with Neiswonger Construction, which will start to take down the mall property in the coming days. The funding for the demolition is coming from the county’s blight mitigation fund that was buoyed by federal American Rescue Plan Act money.
“It’s imminent,” Redevelopment Authority Executive Director Bob Griffin said of the demolition work. “They’re going to be starting very soon.”
He anticipates once work starts, it will take about eight months to raze the structure and prep the site for new development. The development is being spurred by 79/70 Associates, which filed applications with South Strabane Township to construct a new 152,000-square-foot retail warehouse club and fuel station on the property.
“The big thing is staging right now. With Costco coming in, it’s gotta be fast,” Sherman said of the demolition timeline. “It’s rocking and rolling.”
It’s not yet known when construction will begin on the new Costco, but Sherman said the company has an aggressive timeline and hopes to open the store by December 2026. An email sent to the company Friday morning asking about the project was not immediately returned.
“This is going to go from one of the most dilapidated properties in Washington County to a prime place for people to shop,” Sherman said.
A Campers Inn RV center is also slated to be built on the property, along with a new Harbor Freight building and various other shops and businesses at the location.