ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT FOR THE REGION. WITH A FEW SWINGS OF THE SLEDGEHAMMER, WASHINGTON COUNTY LEADERS ARE TEARING DOWN HISTORY AND USHERING IN A RENAISSANCE. WASHINGTON MALL WAS A VIBRANT SHOPPING DESTINATION FOR 46 YEARS, BUT NOW IT’S CALLED A VACANT EYESORE. EVER SINCE IT SHUT DOWN IN 2014, TENS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE DRIVE BY HERE EVERY SINGLE DAY. AND WHAT DO THEY SEE? BLIGHT. A BROKEN DOWN MALL. THIS CAN’T HAPPEN. THIS IS THE GROUNDBREAKING FOR A NEW RETAIL COMPLEX. COSTCO, HARBOR FREIGHT BUILDING AND CAMPERS. INN RV WILL BE SOME OF THE NEW RETAILERS. STATE SENATOR CAMERA BARTOLOTTA SAYS THAT THE PROJECT WILL OPEN A FLOODGATE FOR MORE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. WE HAVE SO MUCH INVESTMENT COMING TO OUR CORNER OF PENNSYLVANIA. THAT’S THE GOAL, IS TO MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE KNOW THAT WASHINGTON COUNTY IS OPEN FOR BUSINESS. I ENVISION HAVING THE THE PEOPLE COMING IN OUR DIRECTION FROM OHIO, FROM WEST VIRGINIA, INSTEAD OF THE OTHER WAY AROUND. COUNTY COMMISSIONERS SAY REDEVELOPING THE WASHINGTON MALL SPACE IS CRITICAL BECAUSE THEY WILL AGGRESSIVELY RECRUIT BUSINESSES AND RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT IN COMING YEARS. WHEN THESE PEOPLE COME IN, WHERE ARE THEY GOING TO LIVE? WHERE ARE THEY GOING TO WORK? WHERE ARE THEY GOING TO SHOP? THE NUMBER TWO ECONOMIC DRIVER THAT WE HAVE IN WASHINGTON COUNTY IS RETAIL. THAT’S WHAT THIS IS TODAY. ONE MORE TIME. AND A FINAL NOTE, COSTCO IS SCHEDULED TO MOVE INTO THE NEW RETAIL SPACE BY DECEMBER OF 2026, COVERING WASHINGTON COUNTY IN SOU
Groundbreaking held for Washington Mall redevelopment; Costco, RV center on the way
Updated: 7:31 PM EDT Jul 18, 2025
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Washington County commissioners hosted a groundbreaking ceremony for the Washington Mall project in South Strabane Township on Friday.County leaders say the old mall property is an eyesore, but now they say demolition is underway for something better.”Tens of thousands of people drive by here every single day, and what do they see? Blight. A broken-down mall,” Commissioner Nick Sherman said. “This can’t happen.”Close to $6 million is being dedicated to redevelop the site into a new retail and dining space. State Sen. Camera Bartolotta, R-46th District, said the mall project will open a floodgate for more economic development.”We have so much investment coming to our corner of Pennsylvania,” Bartolotta said.New locations will include Costco, which officials say will bring hundreds of jobs with an average starting wage of $30 per hour along with benefits; a Campers Inn RV center; and a new Harbor Freight building.”I envision having the people coming in our direction from Ohio, from West Virginia, instead of the other way around,” Bartolotta said, adding, “That’s the goal, is to make sure that people know that Washington County is open for business.”The mall, which opened in the late 1960s, has sat largely unused for the past two decades. The vacant building once housed a JCPenney store, which anchored the mall, along with Giant Eagle.County leaders say redeveloping the mall space is critical because they will aggressively recruit businesses and residential development in the coming years.”When these people come in, where are they going to live? Where are they going to work? Where are they going to shop?” Sherman said.Costco is expected to move in by December 2026.”The number two economic driver that we have in Washington County is retail. That’s what this is today,” Sherman said.
Washington County commissioners hosted a groundbreaking ceremony for the Washington Mall project in South Strabane Township on Friday.
County leaders say the old mall property is an eyesore, but now they say demolition is underway for something better.
“Tens of thousands of people drive by here every single day, and what do they see? Blight. A broken-down mall,” Commissioner Nick Sherman said. “This can’t happen.”
Close to $6 million is being dedicated to redevelop the site into a new retail and dining space.
State Sen. Camera Bartolotta, R-46th District, said the mall project will open a floodgate for more economic development.
“We have so much investment coming to our corner of Pennsylvania,” Bartolotta said.
New locations will include Costco, which officials say will bring hundreds of jobs with an average starting wage of $30 per hour along with benefits; a Campers Inn RV center; and a new Harbor Freight building.
“I envision having the people coming in our direction from Ohio, from West Virginia, instead of the other way around,” Bartolotta said, adding, “That’s the goal, is to make sure that people know that Washington County is open for business.”
The mall, which opened in the late 1960s, has sat largely unused for the past two decades. The vacant building once housed a JCPenney store, which anchored the mall, along with Giant Eagle.
County leaders say redeveloping the mall space is critical because they will aggressively recruit businesses and residential development in the coming years.
“When these people come in, where are they going to live? Where are they going to work? Where are they going to shop?” Sherman said.
Costco is expected to move in by December 2026.
“The number two economic driver that we have in Washington County is retail. That’s what this is today,” Sherman said.
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