11/9/2005
Media Contact:
Justin Ohlemiller, [317] 327-6709 |
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Problem Eastside motel coming down
Drake Motel was hotspot for blight, crime; demolition makes way for new retail
Indianapolis – Eastside community leader John Sweezy, Jr. would cringe every time he drove by the Drake Motel. While he and fellow Eastsiders pushed to reinvigorate the East Washington St. corridor, the eyesore that is the Drake Motel stood in stark contrast to the community’s vision for the area. Now the Drake will stand no longer.
Joined by Deputy Mayor Steve Campbell, Sweezy and dozens of other community leaders today celebrated the demolition of the Drake Motel, located along the 9700 block of East Washington. Eastside residents and local leaders cheered as an excavator tore into the buildings that were once havens for crime and blight.
As part of the redevelopment effort, led by Thomas English Retail Development, the site will be cleared to make way for neighborhood retail.
Over the last two plus years, the Marion County Sheriff’s Department and the Warren Township Fire Department made more than 140 total runs to the Drake property. The Drake had also been cited for dozens of code violations, including trash and debris, abandoned vehicles and unhealthy living conditions.
"Problem properties like the Drake – where crime and blight feed off of one another – are detriments to strong, healthy neighborhoods," Campbell said. "The razing of the Drake is a victory for businesses and residents in this area, as well as a clear sign of the continued resurgence of the Eastside."
Campbell pointed to the creation of the Eastside Revitalization District, which is spurring millions in private investment on the Eastside by offering incentives to new and expanding businesses. The incentives have helped lead to a resurgent Washington Square Mall and the redevelopment of vacant, "big box-type" retail locations.
Campbell praised the vision of Tom English, the developer of the Drake site, as well as Sweezy’s Warren Township Development Association and other community-led groups for their "tireless work and advocacy" to lift-up the Eastside.
"The city will continue to work with the Eastside community to help clean up blight and build on this tremendous momentum toward revitalization," said Campbell.
The Drake Motel is one of several local problem motels that have been shut down, demolished or forced to make repairs and improvements. In 2001, the city closed down and eventually demolished the crime-ridden Citizen’s Lodge Motel on the near-Northeast side. A few months later, the city shut down a Southside Dollar Inn -- which was rife with building, fire and health code violations -- until it was brought back up to code and reached an agreement with owners to fix-up all nine Dollar Inn locations in Indianapolis. Then in 2002, owners of the troubled American Inn on the Northside agreed to cease operations and demolish the buildings after months of intense city scrutiny.
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