An email:
"Recently, I decided that I had outgrown my home office. However, I refused to look at any space outside of the Seminole Heights area. I did not need much space. The problem, is there is no commercial spaces. (Or very little to choose, or you had to take an entire old house.) I was about to give up when I found a building in Old Seminole Heights that was an old apartment building converted to professional offices. So I signed the lease immediately and moved in. It is great! This got me thinking about one of the problems we will face as a neighborhood. My friend is now looking and will be experiencing the same thing.
Here's my thought-- It has always been said that the neighborhood will always have a prostitute and drug problem as long as the "seedy" hotels are here. Why not approach the hotels and try to convince them to convert to commercial office space. While they may have to reapply for new zoning, the neighborhood would probably back this idea. As a small business, I was only looking for one room, or a room with lobby. I was fortunate, that I got a private bath as well. Most business would pay $500.00-$600.00/month for rent depending on amenities offered.
I think this idea would be great for art studios, antique/consignment shops, small one or two person offices (lawyer, accountant, etc) Could you imagine an entire hotel converting to art studios...the lobby turning to a coffee/pastry shop? I think it is something to discuss. I would think it would be a steady income for the owners and probably more money than they make now! I would love to see what others think.
S."
Sounds good in theory but the reality is that those motels make a crapload of money at $25 - $30 per day per room * 12 - 15 rooms - do the math - it is much more lucrative than a flat rental for the space monthly. The owners have no incentive to change use or even maintain the property. There are many day renters/day labors that have no other option but the seedy motels - they don't have the credit or the $1,000 for first last and security plus utility deposits required for an apartment. I have hired a few people that have had to temporarily go that route and the rooms they rented I would not have put my dog in but the owners know these renters have very few options for cover out of the rain so they are rented in nasty condition.
ReplyDeleteThe current zoning of "CI" commercial intensive would not have to be adjusted for most of the use you suggest.
Those motels are but one of the factors that holds the neighborhood back from our full potential and keeps Neb seedy.
Ingenious plan.
ReplyDeleteI think the clock is ticking on the lack of maintenance at these places.
I myself have called in the green motel on the south side of Hillsborough to code.
It gets old and I want some action now.
Thanks for hearing me Kristi.
I've been kind of sad about the lack of code enforcement. I know people seem to love our inspector, but flagrant violations seem to go unchecked. Smells fishy to me.
ReplyDeleteIf you are within the OSH neigborhood assoc please forward any issues to Susan at swlong@myrapidsys.com. She co-ordinates for the assoc and she has developed a very positive relationship with the inspectors for our neighborhood and follows up on the status of the request.
ReplyDeleteGood Luck
Please name a flagrant violation that has gone unchecked. Address please and I will forward.
ReplyDeleteI need facts not BS statements.
Love the IDEA! Anyone have the experience & desire needed to draft up a proposal for presentation to the motel owners? Would they care? Be willing to do the work to convert them? hmm?
ReplyDeletethis is a great idea. even if it means converting only one of the motels. even just a partial conversion, retaining some spiffed up rooms with some art studios, retail and cafe space would attract a better breed of renter, a la the international backpackers who love gram's place.
ReplyDeletehowever, i suspect even a whiff of interest expressed to whomever owns one of those dumps would result in an asking price fit for a comedy central spoof.
speaking of gram's place, why not approach that guy about partnering on a motel conversion? hecd solve his code problems and create the same business model in a real motel with a coffee shop that play's garm parson's music on a street where some real musicians once actually stayed, or so im told....
ReplyDeletegreat idea - all you realtors out there - are there any for sale at this point? I know part of the Haven - north of Sligh was for sale at one point in the past few years - it had been shut down for code violations.
ReplyDeleteAn old motel converts pretty easily to a daycare or preschool. And with the baby boom SH is experiencing I think it would be a great fit. Just an idea.
ReplyDeleteI think a backpacker hostel would be really cool, but I don't know if the price would make it worth while. Most youth hostels are in seedy areas of towns for a reason. That or they are waaaay out in the suburbs. If it could happen, it'd be WAY nicer than the 'pump and dumps' we've got these days which double as temporary housing for drifters. I'd even donate some postcards from all the youth hostels I've lived in =)
ReplyDeleteyeah, the thing is getting the owners to sell at a price that would make something like that possible.
ReplyDeleteThe math doesn't work. The owners are predominantly from India and use the motels as a guaranteed job for their relatives who they are importing. (Information from a distant relative of one of the families.) The expense of fixing up and chaning use is not of interest to most of them. In addition, the cost for someone to buy one, fix it up, pay the ins and the now high property taxes, would make it impossible to rent it as office space or a hostel at any price that anyone could or would pay. As for the coffee shop...which one of these hotels even has a lobby? Most of them hae a small room where the manager sits. Other than that it's just one falling down room after another.
ReplyDeleteCoe doesn't do much because they are no allowed to enter the rooms unless their invited. Have any of you rented a room and invited code in? No?
Well, me neither.
My husband will be leasing the upstairs of his office very soon. It is gorgeous on the inside (we are still working on the outside). It is 5310 Central Avenue, diagonally across the street from Starbucks). If anyone is looking for office space call me at 238-0333. We have not advertised as of yet. I would much rather prefer a resident of Seminole Heights. Nikki
ReplyDelete