ANAHEIM, Calif. (Sept. 22, 2022) — Anaheim’s City Council on Tuesday will consider a $7.6 million motel acquisition as part of an ongoing effort to rebuild 1.5 miles of Beach Boulevard in the city.
The Council will consider the Anaheim Housing Authority’s proposed acquisition of the 45-room Anaheim Lodge motel from family holding company Shivam Hotel LLC.
An acquisition would be part of Anaheim’s ongoing work to rebuild Beach Boulevard, where the city is addressing human sex trafficking, drug use and distribution, transiency, blight and other issues impacting area residents and businesses.
An Anaheim Lodge purchase would be made using state affordable housing funding, including what’s known as a Permanent Local Housing Allocation grant or money from the state Low and Moderate Income Housing Asset Fund.
If acquired, the site at 837 S. Beach Blvd. would be assessed for reuse or redevelopment as affordable housing, potentially as part of larger area redevelopment including homes for sale and retail space as well.
This would be Anaheim’s second recent approval of a motel purchase.
On Sept. 13, the City Council approved acquiring the nearby Covered Wagon motel, which the city closed in March because of public health and safety concerns and inhumane living conditions.
Anaheim is buying the former 70-room Covered Wagon motel for $6.6 million. Once a sale closes, Anaheim will demolish the shuttered motel to make way for redevelopment as affordable housing with possible homes for sale and retail space.
If an Anaheim Lodge acquisition is approved, it would be the fourth Beach Boulevard motel Anaheim has acquired in the past two decades including the Covered Wagon and two others:
- Silver Moon Motel: acquired by Anaheim in 2001 and demolished by the city in 2002 with the site now in the planning stages for development as affordable housing along with homes for sale and some retail.
- Americana Motel: acquired in 2019 and demolished in 2021; along with Silver Moon site, now in the planning stages for development as affordable housing along with homes for sale and some retail.
In February and April, Anaheim’s City Council and Planning Commission placed additional operating conditions on the Anaheim Lodge after a high number of calls for police service and arrests at the motel.
The additional operating conditions placed on the motel include having an onsite manager, a security and operations plan, no criminal activity and parking enforcement signs and not allowing rooms to be used for prostitution, among others.
In August, a lawyer for Shivam Motels filed a federal lawsuit against Anaheim over the additional conditions.
Anaheim has not been served with a lawsuit, and dropping of the suit would be a requirement of the city buying the motel.
Should Anaheim Lodge be acquired, Anaheim would work to relocate any long-term residents to better living conditions as it has with other acquired or closed motels.
Anaheim works with long-term motel residents to provide new housing and supportive services.
Relocation starts with an assessment to determine if someone is part of a family, a veteran, a victim of domestic abuse or human trafficking or other factors that may open up additional assistance and benefits for them.
Immediate, interim housing is provided at better quality motels owned by Anaheim or where operators are working with the city.
Relocated motel residents are then matched with housing at an Anaheim affordable housing community or nonprofit housing.
In some cases, relocated residents are provided rent vouchers they can use on their own to rent an apartment.
Others may be provided assistance to rejoin family elsewhere.
In other cases, someone may be placed in substance abuse or other treatment before being matched with longer-term housing.
Anaheim can also provide help for others at motels who are victims of sex trafficking or struggling with drug abuse.
Anaheim’s planning for Beach Boulevard calls for creating an inviting, walkable, livable street with a strong business community and good quality of life.
Redevelopment of Beach Boulevard is underway with 65 townhomes for sale near completion at the northeast corner of Beach and Lincoln Avenue and building set to start in 2023 on a shopping center with a specialty grocery store and an expected In-N-Out Burger and Starbucks, among others.
At the southeast corner of Beach and Lincoln, plans are in the works for the building affordable apartments, homes for sale and retail on the site of the former Americana and Silver Moon motels and neighboring properties.
You can learn more about what’s happening on Beach Boulevard here.