Arlington Inn to be razed

The dilapidated and crime-ridden Arlington Inn motel will be torn down before the end of the year, the owner told a Municipal Court judge Thursday.

Deepak Patel said he has no immediate plans to rebuild on or sell the land on North Watson Road near Texas 360. An independent appraiser valued the 2.3 acres near the Entertainment District at nearly $1 million.

A fire damaged the motel in 2006, and Patel closed it last month. The court deemed it a dangerous building Thursday.

City and state officials have pressured Patel for more than a year to correct ongoing crime and code enforcement issues. The Texas attorney general filed a lawsuit against Patel this year after Arlington police reported the motel was a chronic haven for drugs, prostitution and other criminal activity.

If Patel does not follow through on his promise, city officials said they plan to demolish the motel using money from a $425,000 surety bond Patel is required to set up. That is about the cost to clean up mold and asbestos and tear down the building, city officials said.

Jaime Ayala, an Arlington deputy police chief, said police will continue efforts to reduce crime at businesses near Arlington Inn along Texas 360.

"We still have challenges in that area, but it's a good start," Ayala said.

Other cases:

Cambridge Drive: The city also got a Dallas man to agree to repair his fire-damaged investment property in west Arlington. The house at 3313 Cambridge Drive, in the Woodland West subdivision, has been vacant since it caught fire in October. City inspectors said the house, appraised by the county at $167,900 before the fire, needs about $183,000 in repairs. Owner Gary Oliver said Thursday he bought the home after the fire but has been too busy to make repairs. He said construction should begin next week and he already has a potential buyer for the house.

La Joya Gardens: The owners of La Joya Gardens Apartments in east Arlington still have to correct code violations and health and safety issues before the court will allow tenants to move in, Community Services Supervisor Neal Lucassaid. A Municipal Court judge had given Wells Fargo, which foreclosed on the fire-damaged apartments at 1707 E. New York Ave. last year, until Sept. 5 to make repairs. A city inspection Sept. 6 found a lack of fire prevention materials, as well as some electrical concerns, Lucas said. A new court date has not been set.

Spring Miller Court: The city is scheduling demolition for two dilapidated mobile homes on Spring Miller Court in southeast Arlington. The owners, Judy and Dennis Baldree and Judy's mother, Irene Hartley, were ordered by the city to move out of the homes in June after they failed to make court-ordered repairs.

Tucker Boulevard: Code enforcement officials no longer consider Bill Eastland's east-central Arlington home dangerous but gave the political activist a final notice Thursday to correct ongoing code violations, including unclean premises and partially unpainted exterior of his home at 1110 W. Tucker Blvd. The city was days from demolishing the fire-damaged home in April when it reached an agreement with Eastland that allowed him to continue making repairs. To ensure that Eastland maintains the property, the city required him to make a $1,000 deposit that would be held for one year.

Dangerous buildings

Since the city revised its Dangerous and Substandard Structure program in October 2005:

93 properties were abated (either repaired or demolished).

29 of those properties were voluntarily demolished by owners.

27 properties were declared dangerous by the Arlington Municipal Court.

5 of those were demolished by the city for failing to comply with a judge's orders.

46 cases were investigated by the two-member Dangerous and Substandard Structure team.