Regarding the article “Namdar Realty profits from Pittsburgh Mills, ‘dying’ malls” (Oct. 19, TribLive): More power to Namdar for figuring out how to make a profit. The real story, however, is that the mall should never have been built in the first place.

Construction of the mall was discussed back in 1990 well before the internet age, and back then and to this day, the Alle-Kiski Valley does not have the financial capacity to support such a large project. Monroeville Mall was bustling with activity, then decided to replace its ice skating rink with a food court, which made it less desirable. Century Three Mall arose on the steel mill slag heaps of West Mifflin, another mall that should have never been built, and is now being demolished.

The once peaceful countryside of Frazier Township was destroyed by the construction of Pittsburgh Mills and now it sits as a monument to the stupidity of greed. Today, even Monroeville Mall and the surrounding community is a ghost of what it once was. Pittsburgh and the surrounding area have difficult decisions to make; let’s hope they make the right ones.

John Pierce

Cocoa Beach, Fla.

The writer is formerly of Springdale and Monroeville.

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