EVERETT – The owner of a shuttered motel that the city wants demolished is apparently getting out of the hospitality business.
Yoon Oh says the land the Topper Motel sits on is better suited for a new mixed-use project, possibly with upstairs condominiums and ground floor retail space.
“The city doesn’t seem to like the idea of it opening back as a hotel,” Oh said. He recently placed the property on the market for $2.3 million.
A slate of new design standards planned for the Broadway commercial corridor, north of 41st Street, has prompted Oh to abandon his plans to renovate the rundown residential motel at 1030 Broadway, he said.
The Topper was forced to close 17 months ago because of “widespread and systemic sanitation violations.”
State health inspectors in May 2005 ordered the motel vacated and revoked its license after finding each of its 23 rooms unfit for people.
Inspections uncovered moldy mattresses, filthy kitchens and bathrooms, broken heaters, overloaded electrical plugs and a room that was converted into a bird sanctuary and frosted with droppings.
A few dozen people who were evicted said they couldn’t afford or didn’t qualify for other housing.
Oh vowed to fix the motel, and even took out a $200,000 loan to pay for the work shortly after closing, public records show.
But the city says he has dragged his feet.
In early November, the Everett City Attorney’s office will ask for permission to have the building torn down. If that happens, Oh will get the bill.
Assistant City Attorney Leslie Tidball said the city has given Oh an “extraordinary amount of time to get (the motel) fixed,” with little to show for it.
Oh said he has spent about $20,000 on plumbing, electrical, and remodeling work.
Several contractors were issued city permits for repairs, public records show. However, contractors haven’t followed steps required to reopen the building, according to the city.
“The only thing that has a checkmark next to it is the rough plumbing,” Tidball said.
The motel racked up a long list of code violations stretching back years. The problems get cleaned up, but then resurface later.
Oh has been fined more than $12,000 for repeated offenses, public records show.
Tidball said she believes the city has the authority to tear the building down because it is a continuing nuisance and a magnet for criminal activity.
Police say they have found transients living in unlocked rooms and have had other troubles on the property, including drug and weapons violations.
Oh recently hired the commercial real estate company Grubb &Ellis in Seattle to market and sell the 1.1-acre property.
Oh said he hopes to sell it or develop it with a business partner.
“I don’t want to say I’m giving up,” Oh said. “I’m just saying I’m opening my options.”
He said his change of heart was prompted by future plans for the area.
The city’s planning department is working on changing design standards for Broadway north of 41st Street.
Early changes, which could go before the City Council next year, focus on pedestrian-friendly designs along the stretch of road that is currently dominated by car traffic.
Later changes could allow for taller structures to be built on Broadway. Allan Giffen, director of Everett’s Planning and Community Development Department, said those height chances could encourage property owners to redevelop blighted properties.
Jesus Hernandez, the owner of Dos Reales Mexican restaurant just south of the Topper, said he welcomes change.
“I’m waiting for them to do something so I have more customers,” he said. “Before there were too many problems with drugs and police always there.”
Reporter David Chircop: 425-339-3429 or dchircop@heraldnet.com.
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