VAN NUYS : Agency’s Motel Renovation Canceled

A nonprofit agency that planned to turn a vacant, run-down motel on Sepulveda Boulevard into a job training center for disabled people has been pulled off the project by the property’s owners.

Now, some Van Nuys residents and merchants fear that the Chateau Motel, 6719 Sepulveda Blvd., may reopen, drawing the same prostitutes and drug dealers it attracted before the city declared it a public nuisance and imposed a strict list of operating conditions on it.

“It would be detrimental to the community if any type of motel was to reopen there,” said Romana Catton, a Van Nuys resident and local Neighborhood Watch organizer. “It’s not the motel itself; it’s the location that has the reputation. It’s a landmark for prostitution.”

Police statistics revealed a steadily rising number of crimes and arrests attributed to the motel in recent years. In March, city Zoning Administrator Dan Green declared the property a public nuisance and issued a list of 27 conditions owners must meet to continue operating.

In September, Westminster-based Asian Pacific Community Services (APAC) took over the lease, with the goal of converting the property into a hospitality industry training center for disabled people.

But the expense of renovating the badly vandalized building delayed the project, and APAC was turned down for government grants. APAC was removed from the project in February by the Chateau’s owners, who reside in Taiwan, said Dennis Catron, president of Asian Pacific’s board of directors.

“We’re disappointed, but we’re not going to give up on our job center,” Catron said, noting that APAC plans to open an office at another location in the San Fernando Valley.