Commentary: Do not miss this opportunity to replace blighted motel
On Nov. 3, the Costa Mesa City Council will begin hearing solutions for a problem that has been plaguing our city for decades: slum motels. Before the council is the long-overdue proposal to tear down the outdated, 236-room Costa Mesa Motor Inn and replace it with 224 desirable apartment units.
Over the years, the inn has too often been the safe haven for those who prey on others. We can change this dynamic.
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Clarification: This piece has been updated to clarify the authorship.
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Sadly, some are opposing these efforts by attempting to bully the property owners into abandoning their $50-million investment by requiring low-income housing that would remove the incentive to make this needed change.
Some background facts are important. In the old days, motels like the Motor Inn served a purpose. They were a place for those looking for a quick stay on a trip to the beach in the days before smartphones and Hotels.com made booking a hotel room a two-minute process.
As hotels evolved, the Motor Inn stagnated. It quickly became a haven for too many who were associated with criminal activities like drug dealing, prostitution and vagrancy.
With that change in character came dramatic increases in local crime. In 2012, the Motor Inn had a whopping 562 police calls. That’s more than one call every day of the year. In 2013 the Motor Inn was fined $40,000 for 490 health and safety code violations. You are reading that correctly: 562 police calls and 490 code violations.
The Motor Inn has become a blight that places its long-term tenants at great risk, drains police, fire and medical resources and drags down Harbor Boulevard.
What is more shocking is that few of its long-term tenants are Costa Mesa residents. According to the owner, only 17% of the current long-term tenants are Costa Mesans. The vast majority are from other cities. We are importing so many problems into our city with these motels.
The problems with slum motels are well documented and impact vibrant shopping centers like Harbor Center and K-Mart Plaza, both of which have experienced dramatic increases in vagrancy and shoplifting. Crime is largely connected to whom you attract to your city, and slum motels like the Motor Inn are significant contributors to our crime rate.
Fortunately, there is a solution. The owner of the Motor Inn is voluntarily seeking to get out of the slum-motel business. The owner agrees with a majority of nearby residents and businesses, that the motel is obsolete. There is a plan to convert the motel to rental housing and significantly upgrade the quality of life and safety for the current long-term tenants of the Motor Inn, businesses and patrons on Harbor Boulevard and all Costa Mesans.
As part of that conversion, current long-term tenants who continue renting until the motel closes will receive up to $5,000 in rent reimbursement, which they can use for relocation purposes to end their cycle of motel living. A solution that costs the taxpayer nothing and benefits every resident while at the same time being compassionate to those who call the motel “home” is a win for everyone.
The plan is universally supported by local residents and businesses who are yearning for change.
Sadly, the Motor Inn’s voluntary plan is under attack from the fair housing advocates who decry the loss of “affordable housing.” They claim, without offering any proof, that by shutting down the Motor Inn, families will be left on the streets. The fair-housing folks honestly believe that children should be housed in such deplorable conditions. This is a completely unacceptable and shameful position.
Slum motels are not affordable housing. Motels are businesses. They are not identified in the city’s current Housing Element as housing and do not count toward meeting our affordable housing requirements. Most important, the Motor Inn is not affordable. According to the owner, the cracker-box, 300-square-foot room rents for up to $1,350 a month. That’s $4.45 a square foot per room, much higher than any other rental.
There’s nothing “affordable” about the Motor Inn. It’s disingenuous to claim that’s affordable housing. The numbers say otherwise.
It deeply saddens us to think that any child should live in such conditions. As a city, we should not condone this and the fair-housing advocates should be the most vocal in decrying this property and demanding change.
We encourage residents to obtain the facts about the Motor Inn conversion plan and support our efforts to improve the quality of life for Costa Mesa residents and businesses.
The Motor Inn is an outdated relic of older times that has become a nuisance. It is time for a change for the better. We encourage you to contact the City Council and voice your support and show up to City Council on Nov. 3.
This piece was written and submitted by Costa Mesa Planning Commissioner COLIN MCCARTHY on behalf of commissioners ROBERT DICKSON, JEFFREY MATHEWS, TIMOTHY SESLER, STEPHAN ANDRANIAN and COLIN MCCARTHY.