CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) – Last year, the Charlotte City Council voted to purchase the Budget and Economy Inn in northwest Charlotte. Motels have been rife with crime for years. Drug busts, shootings, human trafficking, all the crimes that are said to have happened around the area.
“I had over 1,200 hotel rooms, and there was a lot of transactional crime happening just with the number of hotel rooms,” says Monica Holmes, deputy planning director for the City of Charlotte. She has worked with city leaders, activists, nonprofits, and law enforcement to put together a plan to support the Sugar Her Creek Corridor.
The city was quick to address problems in the area, and within a year had purchased the motel and begun demolition. The building would be demolished in the fall of 2023, and city leaders moved forward with plans for the property.
Mr Holmes said: “Our focus was on affordable homes for sale, so it became clear that townhouses were a great product to put on that property.”
The Planning Commission is working with Prosperity Alliance to develop the property. City Council is expected to vote to finalize the plans in March, and construction could likely begin shortly thereafter.
There were concerns that people in need would be forced out of the Hidden Valley community through this process. The city worked with crisis management groups to ensure families were not left on the streets.
“We worked really hard with the Housing Collaborative to understand what people's needs are. Whether it's a job or just a connection to housing to ensure a place for their family. Even though,” Holmes said.
Holmes acknowledges that improving the Sugar Creek Corridor is a multifaceted issue that will take time.
The Economy and Budget Inn is not the only motel torn down, other hotels along Sugar Creek are being acquired and will soon be developed.
Mr Holmes said: “There is still more to come and there are still some hotels being invested in the private sector. Those will start to materialize along with permanent housing and a lot of good things will happen.”
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