Charlotte OKs plan to buy, demolish 2 aging motels, paving a way for affordable housing

A plan to purchase and then demolish two aging motels adjacent to Charlotte’s Hidden Valley neighborhood could bring more affordable housing to the area.

With a 6-3 vote, the City Council on Monday agreed to acquire Economy Inn and Budget Inn motels for $4.2 million. The properties located on Reagan Drive sit on a 4.5 acre site near Interstate 85 and Sugar Creek Road and are owned by Rising Tides LLC and Mara Enterprises LLC.

A timeline for the project, request for proposal or when the demolition will take place has not been set.

Representatives for the motels could not be reached for comment on Monday.

Mayor Vi Lyles said the purchase was a necessary step to address a lack of investment in the Hidden Valley area. She said decisions by city officials in the past led to the challenges Hidden Valley residents face today — including the motels.

“This is our down payment for the things we didn’t do in the 1970s,” Lyles said.

Council members Ed Driggs, LaWana Mayfield and Braxton Winston cast no votes, citing costs, a need for a clearer plan and a better collaborative effort with local agencies.

“I would like to see us get a better bang for our buck,” Driggs said.

Mayfield said she found it difficult to pay a “slumlord” who created chaos in the community over $4 million in citizens’ tax dollars, she said.

She questioned why neighbors were not pushing for a more definitive plan. She has seen on numerous occasions investment in or near neighborhoods that do not benefit residents.

“Don’t let us do what we did to Brooklyn,” she said.

The Mayor’s Racial Equity Initiative would contribute $1 million, using funds from Foundation for the Carolinas, to assist with the costs, according to council documents. Tracy Dodson, assistant city manager, said affordable housing could be proposed for the site and was heavily requested by neighbors.

Hidden Valley neighbors were in attendance at Monday’s meeting and supported the plan. The two motels have long been an eyesore for neighbors and a hotspot for crime, said Marjorie Parker, president of the Hidden Valley Community Association.

“You would not believe what we have seen as seniors as we pass this property,” Parker said.

Councilwoman Danté Anderson who represents District 1, which includes Hidden Valley, said residents have long had to weather the storm of a historic lack of investment. They see firsthand what occurs when the sun goes down and the morning aftermath, she said.

“We have the opportunity to act and the responsibility to act,” Anderson said.

A collaborative approach

As many as 15 people live on the site, said Carol Hardison, executive director for Crisis Assistance Ministry. Nonprofits will partner on a project to connect them with housing.

Hardison said city officials contacted her after the collaborative work done by nonprofits to assist seniors displaced from Magnolia Senior Apartments. This project’s goal would be to find permanent housing for the motels’ residents, she said.

It could also mark the beginning of a new way to attack displacement, she said. Legal Aid of North Carolina and local nonprofits Housing Collaborative and Champion House of Care will assist the residents.

“To have a community coordinated collaborative response — this is a first,” Hardison said.

Janette Kinard, executive director of Champion House of Care, said Economy Inn was the best location for the city to address first. Other motels and hotels in the area have more permanent residents including those with children, she said.

“You don’t want to see kids put on the street,” Kinard said.

In February, Kinard helped start the Sugar Creek Business Association to find collaborative ways to improve the Sugar Creek Corridor. She said this move by the city is a part of the work they want to see done.

Kinard said she’s hopeful that the city could restructure the building into a center for wrap around services. This could include a food pantry, health services and an after school programs.

“That’s why we have been hosting health fairs,” she said. “Because we need those resources.”

Ron Zarek, who owns the McDonald’s on West Sugar Creek Road, said he was glad to see the city council moving forward with a vote. Zarek, who is president of the Sugar Creek Business Association, said the city’s move is the kind of collaborative approach residents aim to do.

“We’re trying to make the community better for people who live here everyday,” he said. “We want them to be proud of their community and that’s what we’re working with them on. “

Zarek said the city acquiring the motel is a step in the right direction.

“If we can turn motels into maybe daycare centers or community service centers, I think it’s going to be nothing but positive for the community,” he said.