Rivertowne tavern owner appeals demolition order from North Huntingdon

Joe Napsha, Tribune-Review, Greensburg, Pa.
·2 min read

Dec. 3—The owner of the former Rivertowne Pub & Grille building on Route 30 in North Huntingdon has appealed the township's order that he demolish the structure.

Shivs Real Estate of Mt. Lebanon appealed the North Huntingdon commissioners' Oct. 20 decision that the building, which has been vacant for about three years, should be razed after deeming it to be an unlawful structure, a nuisance and unfit for human habitation.

Shivs wants a Westmoreland County judge to overturn the township's ruling, according to court filings. A hearing on the appeal has yet to be scheduled.

Prasad Morganbandhu, a co-owner of Shivs, told the Tribune-Review that the township's demolition order was unfair.

"You can't demo a building for some weeds," which have since been cleaned up, said Morganbandhu.

Morganbandhu said an engineer has studied the building and there's no structural damage.

There are other buildings in North Huntingdon that are in worse shape than his Rivertowne structure in the western end of the township, "but they don't do something about them," Morganbandhu said. The township's actions, he said, are "prejudicial."

Michael Turley, North Huntingdon's acting manager, declined to comment other than saying the appeal filing was no surprise.

"We were expecting that, based on the hearing. The story is yet to be told," Turley said.

In August, the township notified Morganbandhu that he had to repair the structure or demolish it. The contract halted work by a contractor who had been working on the building without a permit.

During the Oct. 20 hearing on the township's condemnation proceeding, Morganbandhu said that he would remove the debris from the property that was noted by the township.

Morganbandhu acquired the property — part of the Rivertowne brewery bankruptcy — in January 2019. His real estate company paid $7,500 for a 50% interest in the property, which Rivertowne owners had purchased for $511,000 in 2011.

Morganbandhu said he intended to open another Winghart's restaurant at the site, but that was delayed because of the pandemic.

Morganbandhu had operated a Winghart's Burger, Beer & Whiskey Bar at Westmoreland Crossing on the Westmoreland Mall property, but a county judge ruled in March 2019 it had to vacate the space because it owed the mall about $91,150 in rent and related costs dating back two years.

He and his brother, Sivram, tried to transfer the expired liquor license from the Hempfield site to the Rivertowne site in North Huntingdon, but the township rejected the request on the grounds they could not transfer a liquor license which had expired.

Joe Napsha is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Joe at 724-836-5252, jnapsha@triblive.com or via Twitter .