TMCnet News
Modesto Inn's owners get more time for renovationsMODESTO, Nov 28, 2012 (The Modesto Bee - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- The city is giving the owners of the Modesto Inn more time to complete the renovations and repairs to the central Modesto motel, which has been an eyesore and nuisance for neighbors. Board of Building Appeals members voted unanimously Monday to give the Modesto Inn owners until March 28 to finish the work. Board members cited the substantial progress that has been made at the Needham Street property in granting more time. The most recent deadline to avoid $1,000-a-day civil penalties had been Dec. 11. Anand Patel, one of the Modesto Inn's owners, said work at the 58-room motel is about 60 percent complete. He said he and his business partner are continuing to work with Wyndham Hotels and Resorts to have the Modesto Inn become a Knights Inn, one of Wyndham's hotel chains. The board will get progress reports regarding the Modesto Inn at its January and February meetings. One of the outstanding issues is having the Modesto Inn work with police to create a plan to ensure that the motel does not become a neighborhood nuisance and source of crime again. The Modesto Inn came under city scrutiny after a May fire destroyed four of the rooms and displaced 25 tenants. Most residents were paying monthly rent for their rooms, which were not adequately equipped with electrical outlets, fire alarms or phone service, officials have said. The Modesto Inn owners have said they no longer will rent to long-term tenants and want their property to be a true motel. ___ (c)2012 The Modesto Bee (Modesto, Calif.) Visit The Modesto Bee (Modesto, Calif.) at www.modbee.com Distributed by MCT Information Services |