Zappala appeals MV Heights decision
A judge denied his request to divert $1M from the pending sale of the housing complex.
By PAULA REED WARD
TribLive
The Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office on Monday filed a notice of appeal challenging a judge’s refusal to take $1 million from the pending sale of Mon View Heights and set it aside for nuisance abatement.
The appeal involving the long-troubled property will be heard by Pennsylvania Superior Court.
On July 30, Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Jill E. Rangos denied a motion by the DA’s office seeking a temporary restraining order that would have diverted $1 million from pending sale proceeds of the West Mifflin housing complex to be used to demolish four buildings, repair sewer lines and install a new video surveillance system.
Under that scenario, the money would be under control of the Allegheny County sheriff.
Rangos also denied a request by the DA’s office for her to visit Mon View Heights as part of a pending criminal case against the property owners.
The judge did not issue written opinions for either of her decisions.
In a statement Tuesday, Stephen A. Zappala Jr. said he could not answer questions about why he is appealing without understanding the judge’s reason for her decisions.
Under Pennsylvania law, upon receiving notice of an appeal, a trial judge must issue at least a brief opinion citing the reasons for the order.
‘We’ve been patient’
Zappala filed the motion for the temporary restraining order in June as part of his efforts to improve conditions at the sprawling complex.
In September 2024, the DA’s office filed criminal charges against the property’s owners, Mon View Apts LLC, for creating a public nuisance.
At the time, Zappala toured the 326unit complex with West Mifflin officials and saw for himself the blighted conditions — open sewage, collapsed ceilings, bug infestations and more.
After the criminal charges were filed, the owners defaulted on their $17 million mortgage. Merchants Bank of Indiana foreclosed on the property.
In a separate action in civil court, a receiver was appointed to manage Mon View Heights.
While the bank has spent more than $3.5 million to pay past due taxes and make improvements on the property, its lawyer said, the DA’s office has taken the position that the receiver and the bank should have made a greater effort to make the property habitable.
“We’ve been patient,” Assistant District Attorney Jon Pittman said at a hearing last month.
‘Deep experience’
On July 17, Common Pleas Judge Chelsa Wagner approved the sale to Camber Property Group, based in New York, for $7.5 million.
Camber, which works in the affordable housing market, has committed to improving Mon View.
Karen Hu, the company’s head of development, told TribLive last month that Camber has a pending tax credit application with the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency that would allow the company to take on intensive capital repairs to the property.
“We have a lot of deep experience doing these projects,” Hu said, noting the company hoped to close on the sale by the end of the year.
An attorney for Merchants Bank declined to comment on Tuesday.
