Fort Worth could soon demolish crime-ridden motel
Fort Worth motel could be torn down for violations
A motel in Fort Worth with a history of compliance violations and police activity could soon be demolished if the owner doesn't make changes. FOX 4's Dionne Anglin has an update on the city's NET Force pilot program to crack down on nuisance properties.
FORT WORTH, Texas - The city of Fort Worth is working a new strategy in its fight against crime-ridden nuisance properties in the area – inspections, citations, and legal action.
Now, at least one property appears to be headed for demolition as a result of the pilot program.
Fort Worth’s Nuisance Properties
What we know:
The Eco Motel on East Lancaster Avenue in Fort Worth has had decades of trouble and turmoil, including more than 20 years of citations and heavy police activity.
NET Force, the city’s Nuisance Enforcement Task Force, could be weeks from a court order granting the city the power to demolish all six buildings on the property if the owner fails to bring them into compliance.
Fort Worth’s ‘NET Force’ making progress with chronic nuisance properties
The city of Fort Worth is going after businesses that are considered to be a public nuisance based on a high rate of code violations.
Drastic Changes
What they're saying:
"To me this was a really big success story," said Brian Daughtery, the city’s code compliance director, while updating city leaders on the program. "We’re talking about this property that’s been a problem over 20 years. There’s been citations, there’s been a lot of police activity but actually getting orders on all six buildings forcing the owner to bring it in compliance or the city can demolish it."
District 11 Councilwoman Jeanette Martinez thanked Daughtery and commended the multi-department effort to clean up the neighborhood.
"The criminal activity with these properties is so egregious, people doing drugs, prostitution, continuous calls for first responders," Martinez said. "I commend you for all the work you’ve been doing to shut down these properties."
Big picture view:
The pilot program initially targeted three top offenders. In addition to the Eco Motel, NET Force targeted a pair of convenience stores on Hemphill Street, resulting in one shutting down under the pressure of numerous inspection violations.
The third property, the Sandy Oaks Apartments, successfully corrected 859 identified violations.
Daughtery noted that the response from the apartment complex owner was exactly what the city wanted to see.
"When we went back to do the second inspection, there was about eight contracting groups that were working on repairing the violations. That is what we wanted to see because they corrected all 859 violations and that’s pretty remarkable," he said.
Future of NET Force
What's next:
The next step for the initiative will depend on whether the city's budget can support the NET Force pilot program permanently.
If funding is approved, the city is prepared to move forward immediately, with the next seven nuisance properties already identified.
The Source: The information in this article comes from the City of Fort Worth code compliance briefings and city council statements.