Questions remain as Parkway Center Giant Eagle is set to close
The Parkway Center Giant Eagle is closing at the end of June after over 40 years in business.
Shoppers who use this location are now being asked to go to either the Noblestown Road location or the one in Crafton. The former is about eight minutes away; the latter is a little over 10.
People are asking questions about the location that is soon to close. What will happen to the property? What will happen with the stuff around it? Much of it has sat dormant for over a decade now.
This store has remained here since the Parkway Center Mall closed in 2013. It's leaving soon as well, meaning there's going to be even more of a vacancy.
"It's our closest store from where I come from," one shopper told KDKA-TV.
"I have been coming here since behind the Giant Eagle, there was a mall," another said.
What was the Parkway Center Mall became a fenced-off, decrepit canvas.
And once the shelves are clear next door, that emptiness will only grow.
"My kids grew up working here, having their entertainment here, and a lot of people in this region did," said Pittsburgh Councilmember Theresa Kail-Smith (D).
The store falls inside Kail-Smith's district. She still sees promise in the area.
"This is just a great location; it's a gold mine here," she added.
Kail-Smith says she spoke with Curtis Kossman, one of the property's owners, on Friday.
"This conversation that we had yesterday, he seemed more committed than he has ever been," Kail-Smith said.
That commitment is to develop the property.
Kail-Smith says that could mean commercial or even residential properties.
"He just mentioned that there are other grocers that are also interested, possibly still Giant Eagle, I don't know," Kail-Smith said.
Kail-Smith told KDKA-TV that Kossman says he's talked with some big-name companies, and that next steps to unlock potential could come soon.
"In a few weeks, hopefully, we will have more to tell the public about what the plans will be."
Shoppers certainly want to see some sort of plan.
"You always like to see something happen with anything, otherwise, we've got Century III Mall," another shopper said.
The location's pharmacy is set to close on May 21. The store itself closes on June 28.
