Neighbors urge demolition of Eco Motel after commission finds complex hazardous

The Fort Worth Building Standards Commission on May 18 declared the Eco Motel (case HS-26-454 / East Lancaster Ave) substandard and hazardous, ordering the owner to repair or demolish the primary building and five accessory structures within 30 days or face city-led demolition.

Senior code officer Lynn Wisnant told the commission that a net-force inspection found hundreds of code violations across six structures and widespread hazards, including missing smoke detectors, exposed wiring, extensive water damage and structural deterioration. Wisnant said staff recommended the commission declare the property substandard and hazardous and give the owner 30 days to comply or authorize city staff to demolish and lien costs to the property.

Neighborhood leaders told the commission they had endured years of criminal activity and public-safety harms tied to the motel. Cindy Bowling, president of the Central Metobrook Neighborhood Association, urged immediate removal: "We recommend a bulldozer," she said, describing drug paraphernalia, repeated trespassing and public-health risks observed near the site.

Police and nuisance-abatement staff described frequent calls for service and recent deaths at the property. Officer Gentry Cotton, the city nuisance-abatement officer, said the property had generated approximately 1,600 calls for service since 2021 and that his review identified multiple overdose fatalities in recent years.

Owner representatives and the property manager disputed parts of the neighborhood narrative and described steps taken to address violations. Sha (Shatal) Patel, representing the property management, said the owner had reduced the number of recorded violations and had opened eight units after completing repairs: "We went from 370-plus violations to under 200," Patel said, and requested more time — asking for 90 to 120 days to finish engineering reports, pull permits and complete work.

Commissioners balanced those competing pleas and voted to declare the structures substandard and hazardous and to require repair or demolition within 30 days. The order notes the amendment and appeal processes: owners and interested parties may seek additional time through the commission’s amendment procedure or appeal the order to the Tarrant County District Court within 30 days of mailings of the order.

The commission’s action sets a short deadline and gives code compliance authority to proceed with demolition and to lien remediation costs if the owner does not meet the order’s deadlines.