Shenango Valley Mall Eyed for Demolition, Site Redevelopment

HERMITAGE, Pa. – The Shenango Valley Mall in all likelihood will be demolished later this year to make way for redevelopment at the site, a city official said Friday.

“We don’t have a timeline yet,” said Mark Longietti, business and community development director. He said, however, that the mall’s anchor tenant, JCPenney, is scheduled to close May 5 and vacate the building by May 10. “We expect demolition to begin later this year and clear the site.”

Longietti said the city has had discussions with the property owner, and he believes their concept is similar to Hermitage’s vision of redeveloping the site as a town center. 

Butterfli Holdings 011 LLC, an affiliate of Flicorp LLC based in Pepper Pike, Ohio, acquired the mall in August 2022.

He said the owners have not yet submitted an application for a demolition permit or any redevelopment plan. “We believe they are in line with the town center concept.”

Longietti said the city would be interested in acquiring 10 acres of the site’s interior to redevelop for community use. “There are some things we’ve talked about such as miniature golf, a splash pad for kids – perhaps an amphitheater that would have music and different performances,” he said.

Butterfli Holdings would retain ownership of the more valuable parcels that front U.S. Route 62 and state Route 18, the city’s major thoroughfares. These sites would be ideal locations for new retail businesses and restaurants, Longietti said.

“I think we’re to the point where we’ll actively revitalize the site soon,” he said.

The city has received approximately $5.5 million in grant funding from the commonwealth to support the town center project. The money would be used for purposes such as demolition, construction, infrastructure and stormwater management.

Gary Gulla, assistant city manager, told The Business Journal in January that the grants have expiration dates, but he was confident that work would begin before their assigned deadlines.

“Those grants do have deadlines, but we’re comfortable that we’re well within the time frame to be able to utilize those grants,” he said.

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