LIVING CONDITIONS HERE AT LONGVIEW HEIGHTS ARE DESCRIBED AS VERY BAD BY WEST MIFFLIN BOROUGH AND THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY’S OFFICE. TONIGHT, THEY’RE HOLDING THE OWNERS OF THE PROPERTY ACCOUNTABLE. DILAPIDATED PROPERTY, CAVED IN CEILINGS, PLUMBING ISSUES, UNSANITARY CONDITIONS. WEST MIFFLIN BOROUGH AND THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY SAY THESE ARE THE UNACCEPTABLE LIVING CONDITIONS AT MON VIEW HEIGHTS. THERE ARE TIMES THAT A CHILD SHARES HIS BREAKFAST CEREAL WITH RACCOONS. AND SKUNKS, A LADY WASHING DISHES WITH AN UMBRELLA OVER HER HEAD, AND WE’RE EXPECTING THEIR CHILDREN TO GO TO SCHOOL AND AND AND, YOU KNOW, BE ABLE TO LEARN CORRECTLY IN THE SITUATIONS WHERE THEY’RE LIVING AT. CONDITIONS AT LONGVIEW HEIGHTS ARE SO BAD. THE PROPERTY HAS BEEN DECLARED A NUISANCE ISSUE BY THE BOROUGH AND THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY’S OFFICE. WHEN I WHEN I’M ON THE GROUND IN LONGVIEW HEIGHTS, THEIR CONCERNS ARE WHEN IS THE PROPERTY GOING TO BE REMODELED? WHEN IS THIS? WHEN ARE THESE THINGS THAT WERE PROMISED TO US GOING TO HAPPEN? AND. AND WE DIDN’T HAVE THE ANSWERS. ZAPPALA SAYS HIS OFFICE IS FILING AN AFFIDAVIT DETAILING THE CRIMINAL COMPLAINT AGAINST MERCHANT BANK OF INDIANAPOLIS. THE OWNERS OF MON VIEW HEIGHTS. HE SAYS THEY RECEIVED MORE THAN $400,000 A MONTH FROM HUD WITHOUT INVESTING IN THE PROPERTY. WE’RE GOING TO PUT THE BANK ON NOTICE THAT WHEN YOU FORECLOSE ON A PIECE OF PROPERTY, YOU ARE NOW DE FACTO THE OWNER OF THAT PROPERTY. YOU’RE NO DIFFERENT THAN THE PEOPLE WE’RE GOING TO PUT IN JAIL. YOU’RE GOING TO BECOME DEFENDANTS IN A CRIMINAL ACTION UNLESS YOU START MAKING SENSE. THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY ALSO SAYS AN IMMEDIATE PLAN IS TO TRY TO RELOCATE SOME OF THE TENANTS.
Allegheny County District Attorney promises legal action against Mon View Heights owner
Updated: 7:09 PM EDT Apr 29, 2026
Living conditions inside Mon View Heights apartments are described as deplorable and substandard.Conditions so bad, District Attorney Stephen Zappala says he will take legal action to improve the property.”There are times that a child shares his breakfast cereal with raccoons and skunks. A lady washing dishes with an umbrella over her head,” West Mifflin Mayor Chris Kelly said.”And we’re expecting their children to go to school and be able to learn correctly under the conditions where they’re living,” West Mifflin council member Carla Payne-Harrison said.Zappala says Mon View Heights is owned by Merchant Bank of Indianapolis, which collects more than $400,000 a month from Housing and Urban Development for the 300 tenants.He says he will file an affidavit detailing a criminal complaint against Merchant Bank.”We’re going to put the bank on notice that when you foreclose on a piece of property, you are now, de facto, the owner of that property,” Zappala said. “You’re no different than the people we’re going to put in jail. You’re going to become defendants in a criminal action unless you start making sense.”Zappala says an immediate plan is to try to relocate some of the tenants.A request for a statement has been sent to Merchant Bank.Download the WTAE app to stay connected with breaking news. Sign up for our email newsletters to get breaking news in your inbox.
WEST MIFFLIN, Pa. —
Living conditions inside Mon View Heights apartments are described as deplorable and substandard.
Conditions so bad, District Attorney Stephen Zappala says he will take legal action to improve the property.
“There are times that a child shares his breakfast cereal with raccoons and skunks. A lady washing dishes with an umbrella over her head,” West Mifflin Mayor Chris Kelly said.
“And we’re expecting their children to go to school and be able to learn correctly under the conditions where they’re living,” West Mifflin council member Carla Payne-Harrison said.
Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office
Zappala says Mon View Heights is owned by Merchant Bank of Indianapolis, which collects more than $400,000 a month from Housing and Urban Development for the 300 tenants.
He says he will file an affidavit detailing a criminal complaint against Merchant Bank.
“We’re going to put the bank on notice that when you foreclose on a piece of property, you are now, de facto, the owner of that property,” Zappala said. “You’re no different than the people we’re going to put in jail. You’re going to become defendants in a criminal action unless you start making sense.”
Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office
Zappala says an immediate plan is to try to relocate some of the tenants.
A request for a statement has been sent to Merchant Bank.
Download the WTAE app to stay connected with breaking news. Sign up for our email newsletters to get breaking news in your inbox.