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Residents urge bold reimagining of Monroeville Mall; community meeting being planned
Summary
Speakers at public comment called for transit-oriented, mixed-use redevelopment of Monroeville Mall and said a planning firm, EvolveEA, may soon engage the borough and residents in a community-led design process.
During public comment at Tuesday’s Monroeville Borough Council meeting, two residents urged the borough to pursue an ambitious, community-driven reimagining of Monroeville Mall, calling for transit-oriented, mixed-use development and broad public engagement.
Alyssa Beck of Trotwood Drive read a letter from James Hollister of EvolveEA (Evolve Environmental Architecture) that urged the borough to transform the mall into a walkable, mixed-use district. “The opportunity before us is not simply to repave the past. It is to reimagine and reweave this space into the very fabric of our borough,” the letter said, urging “sustainable transit-oriented development” and calling for the borough to lead with “ambition and urgency.” Beck told council a representative from EvolveEA would attend a forthcoming community meeting.
Diana Woodhall, who said she and Beck had met with state representative Brandon Markosek, told council she planned to submit materials and photographs documenting recent flooding and said redevelopment of the mall could have impacts “miles away in both directions, especially those downstream.” She asked council and planning staff to consider stormwater and traffic infrastructure implications during planning. Woodhall also said she would submit documents and letters from prior years addressing environmental and traffic concerns.
Council members and staff responded that a community meeting is being organized for June or July; Beck said the Sustainable Monroeville Facebook page will carry the meeting announcement. The borough said representatives from the mall’s owner (referred to in public remarks as “Cyprus Equities”) and other stakeholders may attend; Beck said EvolveEA is a small Pittsburgh-based firm of about 20 staff.
Council did not take any formal land-use action at the meeting; public comment was informational. Staff and residents emphasized that any redevelopment planning should account for stormwater impacts, traffic infrastructure and community engagement.
What’s next: a community meeting is being scheduled in June or July; staff and residents said they will announce the date on social media and coordinate participation with property owners and the planning commission.
