ARLINGTON -- A vacant north Arlington hotel the city has fought for years over code violations and crime was reduced to rubble Monday.
At a hearing last month, an Arlington Municipal Court judge declined to grant additional time for the owners or lien holders to repair the dilapidated American Inn & Suites at 1181 N. Watson Road near Avenue J. The three-story hotel, vacant since 2008, was declared a dangerous structure by the court in February for a long list of violations, including fire damage, a leaking roof, mold, hazardous plumbing and electrical problems.Rina Ker, who manages the adjacent Rodeway Inn and Suites hotel, was thrilled to see the wrecking crew Monday. She said numerous guests have canceled their reservations over the past four years after arriving to find they were staying next to a shuttered hotel with broken windows."I feel a big relief. We lost a lot of business," Ker said. "This is going to clean up the area a lot."Ker said she installed surveillance cameras outside her hotel because the property next door was attracting prostitutes, vagrants and criminal activity. With American Inn & Suites gone, Ker said she now feels more comfortable investing money to renovate her entertainment district hotel.American Inn & Suites is the first hotel the city has demolished with a court order, said Mike Bass, code compliance services assistant director. Arlington could have chosen to levy a $1,000 civil penalty against the owner for every day that the property failed to meet city code. The city will file a lien against the property to recover the estimated $100,000 in demolition costs, officials have said.When the building was declared dangerous in February, the city gave then-owner Nilam Patel and the State Bank of Texas 60 days to either demolish the structure or bring it up to code. Neither that deadline nor a subsequent extended deadline was met. Plans to auction the property were unsuccessful, and neither party attended the final court hearing in July.The hotel, built in 1985, was worth nearly $1.7 million, according to an appraiser for the city. But it needed an estimated $1.6 million in repairs and renovations to meet minimum code requirements to reopen. The city has issued 62 citations for violations at the property since 2008.This report includes material from the Star-Telegram archives.Susan Schrock, 817-709-7578Twitter: @susanschrockHave more to add? News tip? Tell us
