Troubled Hastings Way Motel Will Become Apartments
E.C. City Council OK’s plan for Regency Inn, which city called ‘den of illegal activity’ in lawsuit
An Eau Claire motel that the city called “a den of illegal activity” in a lawsuit last year would be converted into an apartment building under a plan passed by the Eau Claire City Council on Tuesday.
Council members unanimously approved rezoning the Regency Inn & Suites, 1828 S. Hastings Way, and to adopt a general development plan for the site that calls for its conversion into a 53-unit apartment building.
After remodeling, the two-story building would include studio units as well as one- and two-bedroom apartments, plus a pool, an exercise room, and theater/party rooms, said Scott Allen, the city’s community development director. Developer Doug Clarks also plans to remodel the apartments to include kitchens and laundry units, he said.
While it’s in a largely commercial area, Allen noted that the building is accessible by public transit and is near various employers, pharmacies, a new grocery store, a school, and other services that will benefit residents.
In December, the City of Eau Claire filed a lawsuit against the motel’s owner, Vidhi Hospitality Inc., asking the court to order that the property be closed and sold. The city contended that the building was in a dangerous, dilapidated state and that there was serious criminal activity there, including drug dealing and sex crimes. Between early 2018 and the time of the lawsuit, there had been more than 500 police calls to the motel, according to court documents. (The lawsuit is still pending.)
At a council hearing Monday, affordable housing advocate and Eau Claire Plan Commission member Susan Wolfgram testified in favor of the plan, with some caveats.
“I’m in support, because in the big picture Mr. Clark is going to remedy an unsafe, unhealthy, high-risk living environment that has haunted our city for a number of years,” said Wolfgram, who co-chairs the affordable housing task force for JONAH, a local grassroots group.
Wolfgram said she and others were working to find appropriate housing for the motel’s current long-term residents, many of whom have difficult finding other housing and may pay their entire income in rent. While she would prefer that the project be postponed to allow these people more time to secure places to live, she said she realizes the developer has to act now for financial reasons.
“One of our greatest community needs are affordable rents for our residents with very low income and high rental barriers,” she said. “The Regency is a stark example of the desperation many of our community members have been living with for years.”
At their legislative meeting Tuesday, several council members spoke in favor of the project.
“I’m really excited about this development,” said Council Vice President Catherine Emmanuelle. “I think it is a wonderful reflection of what Eau Claire is really building a strong foundation on – of taking something that’s been a challenge or a deficit and turning it into a positive.”
While they unanimously approved the rezoning and general site plan, City Council members also voted 7-4 to pass an amendment requiring that final development details return to the Plan Commission for approval, rather than just being OK’d by city staff. Some council members had expressed concern about the need for measures to keep residents’ children away from the heavy traffic on Hastings Way.
The Regency would be the second Eau Claire motel in recent months to be converted into apartments. In July, the City Council approved a similar project at the Campus View Inn & Suites, 809 W. Clairemont Ave.
