Lisa Alexander refuses to go to the Pittsburgh Mills mall.
“I used to walk at the mall or eat at the restaurants or swing by Starbucks a few times a week,” she said.
Alexander, of West Deer, vowed to avoid the shopping complex in Frazer after a November trip to Eat’n Park cost her nearly $200 when she hit a massive pothole and blew a tire.
“As soon as I hit it, I knew,” Alexander said. “I heard a big ‘thunk.’ ”
“Those roads are so bad, and they’re only getting worse.”
Pothole-riddled roads at the Pittsburgh Mills shopping complex have become as much a conversation piece as the mall itself. The site debuted in 2005 as the second-largest retail complex in Western Pennsylvania but began to founder almost immediately. Today it sits 75% empty as it approaches its 20th anniversary.
Frazer officials in September filed a $4.5 million lawsuit in Allegheny County Court against the Mills’ property owner, Namdar Realty Group, claiming the cratered roads around the mall are the result of negligence.
Township Supervisor and Secretary Lori Ziencik said the roads are privately owned and maintenance is Namdar’s responsibility.
“We take care of our roads,” Ziencik said.
Supervisors are urging Namdar to address what they say is a public safety hazard.
“Some of these potholes are crazy,” said Springdale resident Kyleigh MacGregor. “There are some I’ve measured to be 3 feet deep.”
MacGregor is taking her frustration to Facebook with a new page, Pittsburgh Mills Mess, where she documents the potholes on Galleria Drive, Pittsburgh Mills Circle and other roads in the complex.
She’s posting videos and photos that already have attracted much attention from people familiar with the sketchy situation.
Since the page was launched Wednesday, it has garnered more than 660 followers. Many social media users have chimed in with a familiar story of blown tires, bent rims and other damage.
“Driving there is like a real-life Mario Kart,” one post reads.
MacGregor, a 13-year EMT and firefighter, formerly with West Deer and Seneca EMS, said she was spurred to action after witnessing so many near-collisions while responding to the property off Route 28.
“I can’t tell you how many vehicle accidents up there have caused almost grave condition to people due to potholes,” she said. “Calling them potholes at this point is minimizing the situation because they’re more like sinkholes.”
Ziencik said officials have been pushing Namdar for a resolution before the lawsuit goes to court.
“We want the roads fixed, however, not patched,” Ziencik said.
State Rep. Mandy Steele, whose 33rd District includes Frazer, said her office has been receiving calls about the potholes for more than a year. The number has increased to several a day, Steele’s Chief of Staff Jess Baker said.
Steele supports the township’s suit against Namdar.
“We’ve been pushing for action for a solid year, and I do not feel like a quick patch job is sufficient,” Steele said. “The roads need extensive repair. I worry someone will be hurt in an accident.”
Steele said she was told by a Namdar staffer that crews would be on site Monday to patch the worst holes.
That didn’t happen.
When TribLive called property manager David Witham, he referred calls to Namdar’s corporate office in New York. Calls and emails there were not answered Thursday.
Harrison resident Rebecca Meyers is one of many who vented frustrations on the new Facebook page.
She said she was driving recently with her mother to Olive Garden when another motorist swerved into her lane.
“They were trying to avoid a pothole and almost drove into me head-on,” Meyers said. “That’s how bad it’s getting. It’s crazy, and I really don’t think the owners care.”
MacGregor hopes the public can rally for a resolution through her Facebook page.
“I’m concerned that this will never be fixed until someone new buys the mall,” she said. “I’m tired of seeing such damage and without being able to get through to Namdar, you have to bite the bullet and pay for repairs. That’s not fair.”