A Pittsburgh businessman plans to transform the former Fiore Mitsubishi building on Logan Boulevard into a retail and entertainment center.
Brandon Williams said he is in the process of buying the 36,000-square-foot building from Northwest Savings Bank.
Williams plans to turn the former auto dealership, which closed in October 2010, into the Giant Values Outlet.
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Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski
The Fiore Mitsubishi building on Logan Boulevard may soon house a Giant Values Outlet. A Pittsburgh businessman is in the process of buying the building, which has been vacant since October 2010.
Once he finalizes the deal, expected in June, Williams said he plans to embark on a four-phase project, which will include outdoor and indoor flea markets, the addition of nine retail shops and an outdoor skateboard park.
"We are trying to make it a family-oriented place, where everyone has a place to go," Williams said.
The first phase will be a 200-space outdoor flea market to be located to the left of the building. Williams said he hopes to open it within two weeks of the closing of the deal.
The second phase will include an indoor flea marketplace on the bottom floor of the building. He said the indoor site would be open year-round and could accommodate 130 8-by-10 spaces.
The third phase, encompassing about 19,000 square feet on the street-level floor, will include retail stores including: a UPS Store, Sweets n Treats, Pool Sharks, Record Graveyard, CW Action Hobbies, Cool Beans Java-Net, Comics Unlimited, Card Traders of America and possibly a BestWay Pizza, Williams said.
The final phase calls for construction of a park for remote controlled cars, planes and boats and an outdoor skateboard park, Williams said, noting the site has 4.5 acres of ground.
Mike Hofer, executive director of the Central Blair Recreation and Park Commission, is interested in the project.
"From a recreation standpoint, it sounded reasonable and something the community would enjoy. What they are proposing to do, it is going to be like a family fun center. It looks good on paper," Hofer said.
"I think the idea has some merit, and the public would enjoy it if he does what he said he is going to do," Hofer added.
Mirror Staff Writer Walt Frank is at 946-7467.
