Anaheim : Motel Used for Homes Due to Be Renovated

An Anaheim motel complex, where many of the guests who turned the rooms into their permanent homes complained about substandard conditions, will be “completely renovated,” the motel’s new supervisor says.

The project will cost the owners of Casa Cordova, 3360 W. Lincoln Ave., about $1 million, an official said.

Janice Leu, president of a tenant association formed this summer, said rent increases after the complex is renovated may mean that some tenants will no longer be able to afford the motel.

Many residents are on limited incomes.

The supervisor said the renovation is designed to restore the complex to its motel use.

In July, Casa Cordova tenants formed the association after eviction threats to about 50 tenants and the actual eviction of 18 others.

During the confrontations between the tenants and the management, several county agencies, including the Community Development Council, stepped in to provide assistance.

Anaheim Code Enforcement Officer Bruce Freeman said the changes that have been made so far “are all very positive.”

“It’s looking good as far as I’m concerned,” Freeman said. “You don’t turn five or six years of neglect into something overnight--but they are working very hard.”