With the convenience of online shopping and delivery, one industry that's gotten hit the hardest is that of the shopping mall.

Southwestern Pennsylvania is no exception, with several malls across the region falling on hard times as of late, including Pittsburgh Mills, Beaver Valley and the Monroeville Mall, which was recently sold to Walmart for future development. Another one of these properties is the Washington Crown Center mall, where local leaders are considering zoning changes to the property.

North Franklin leaders to vote on zoning changes

The Washington Crown Center mall is in such bad disrepair that when it rains, they actually have to set out water buckets to catch water dripping from the ceiling. But local leaders say they have a brilliant plan to keep it from becoming another dead mall. 

North Franklin Township Board of Supervisors Chairman Bob Sabot says he doesn't like the current mall owners at all. He worked with them to sell the ends of the mall, which are now filled with thriving businesses. But on the inside, buckets are still collecting water from leaky ceilings all over. Sabot says the owners are doing nothing. 

"And what do you do? Well, the answer was, we fine him," Sabot said. "And that's what we've done for two and a half, three years, at a cost of $700,000 in fines." 

Leaders are fining mall owners to the point of forcing them to sell with a company ready to buy. The deal: sell and most or all of the fines will be forgiven. But the mall needs to be re-purposed into multi-use, as in allowing other parts to be used not only for retail, but light industrial. That needs rezoning, and he and the board will vote on that soon. 

"Our plan all along was to get this owner to a point where he agrees to sell," Sabot said. 
 
Century III is doing that, but the mall was in such bad shape it had to be torn down. At the Pittsburgh Mills, leaders are disgusted by its condition and are hoping for a similar outcome. 

How are other malls in the Pittsburgh area doing? 

Could this happen to your mall? Malls like Ross Park and South Hills Village are doing great, with 98% of spaces filled. Numbers from three years ago showed the Mall at Robinson had 92% of spaces filled. 

Other malls aren't doing so well. The Pittsburgh Mills was at 25% before Dick's abruptly moved out. The Beaver Valley Mall was at 33% last year. Monroeville was estimated at about 55% full. 

For those struggling malls, the chances are good that you could see what's happening in Washington sometime in the months and years ahead.

The malls of yesteryear, the ones that so many people used to spend time at, are just about gone. Just to underscore that point: the last time a mega mall was built in the United States was in 2006, almost 20 years ago.