City warns Fort Steuben Mall is "condemnable" as council weighs tenant impacts

Steubenville City Manager Michael Johnson told council that inspections and written findings show the Fort Steuben Mall is in a condition that could be condemned. "The mall is condemnable today," Johnson said, summarizing a timeline of notices and a city letter that gave the owner 30 days to submit a comprehensive corrective action plan and, if approved, 180 days to complete repairs.

Council members and tenants pressed for clarity on how the city's timeline would affect businesses and employees. Councilmember Royal Mayo said short notice would harm workers and small operators, noting that moving restaurant equipment and relocating a business is not a 30-day process. "If you tell me in January that where I live and work and I pay my bills... I can start looking then," Mayo said, arguing that tenants must be given meaningful time to relocate if parts of the mall are closed.

City Manager Johnson described the city's remediation checklist: a comprehensive corrective action plan with timelines, professional drawings for temporary or permanent repairs, air-quality and mold assessments prepared by qualified professionals, and a written structural evaluation and safety report by a licensed structural engineer. He said council had denied extension requests because the city considered 30 days sufficient for the plan submission and that, after approval, owners would have additional time to make repairs.

Councilors asked whether the city could authorize limited temporary fixes — for example, building a wall to isolate one corridor so some tenants could remain open — and whether independent contractors could perform such work if the owner did not. Johnson said temporary isolation measures were possible but that the full list of required reports still must be submitted to allow the mall to remain open.

During public comment, Tom Kotur, an owner-operator of the Ville Restaurant located in the mall, urged council to give the new owner more time to secure national leasing assistance and negotiate with tenants. Kotur said the current owner had only held title for about six months and had signaled plans to hire a national leasing agency before taking action that would close tenant spaces.

Council discussed practical and fiscal limits to demolition. Mr. Mayo noted the potential cost of tearing down a mall and questioned where the funds to demolish a building of that size would come from, as well as likely legal costs when a bank holds a large lien on the property. Law Director Costa Mastros warned the city could have some legal exposure if it extended time after declaring a building unsafe and something happened; he advised caution.

The council did not take a final vote to close or demolish the mall during the meeting. Instead, members asked the city manager for formal health-and-safety reports and for follow-up options that would seek to balance tenant protections with public-safety requirements. Johnson said he would provide the reports to council and pursue next steps with legal counsel and code enforcement.