By Mark Hansel
NKyTribune managing editor
The fences are up and site work for the long-anticipated demolition of the Florence Inn has begun.
After more than a year of delays, appeals and court hearings, it appears the troubled inn’s date with the wrecking ball is at hand.
Joshua Hunt, director of business and community development for the city of Florence said there is some preparation work to be done, but demolition of the main building could take place this week.
“There is some asbestos abatement work to be done in some of the buildings, but preliminary work has started,” Hunt said.
Work crews were at the Dream Street property Wednesday morning preparing the buildings, which have been vacant since the motel was shut down by the Northern Kentucky Health Department in September 2015, to be torn down.
There are currently are five buildings on the property, which has 600 feet of street frontage. One building is 4,000 square feet and the other four are 8,000 square feet each.
The Northern Kentucky Tribune was first to report the Health Department’s decision to close the Florence Inn. The Tribune has followed the progress of the story for more than a year and was the only media outlet onsite when demolition preparation began Wednesday.
Problems began for Florence Inn owner Sridar Kadaba of the S & J Hospitality Group in April 2015, when a list of serious violations were identified by the Northern Kentucky Health Department. Repeated attempts to bring the property into compliance with Health Department regulations and city building and fire codes were unsuccessful.
The lack of compliance led to the inn’s closure and the displacement of the building’s approximately 100 tenants. At the time only about 15 of the motel’s 101 rooms were occupied by overnight guests.
The inn had become primarily a residential facility for low-income tenants who paid up to $700 a month to live in substandard conditions because they didn’t qualify for more suitable housing.
The City of Florence and Kidaba spent more than a year locked in a legal battle over the fate of the property.
The City’s Code Enforcement Board issued an order of demolition in October 2015, which was followed by a series of challenges by Kadaba, culminating with a final order to proceed with demolition by the Boone Circuit Court in August.
Since that time, the project has been advertised and a contractor to complete the demolition was chosen through a bid process.
The five-acre parcel is currently listed for sale through Equity for slightly less than $1.5 million.
The property has an assessed value of $1.38 million, but its location near a high-traffic section of Interstate 71/75 could make it an attractive redevelopment option.
The demolition was expected to begin at the end of October with a scheduled completion date by the end of the year. The slight delay in the beginning of the demolition is not expected to significantly impact completion of the project.
Contact Mark Hansel at mark.hansel@nkytrib.com