Charlotte leaders vote to buy motel in crime-ridden Sugar Creek corridor

CHARLOTTE — On Monday, Charlotte city leaders voted to buy a motel just off West Sugar Creek Road.

The discussion centered around the Economy Inn off Reagan Drive, which is just off Interstate 85. Channel 9′s crime reporter Hunter Sáenz learned it’s all in an effort to stop crime that’s plagued that corridor for years.

It will be a $4.2 million purchase, but it’s one some say is desperately needed to prevent violent crime in the area. There are several motels there, which some say have fueled bad actors.

“You and I are both out there seeing sex trafficking, we’re seeing drug sales,” said Robert Dawkins, a longtime activist who’s worked to prevent violent crime in areas like this one.

“We’ve got to get a grip on it now,” he said.

He and others said I-85 makes it easy for criminals to stop off, do what they choose, stay a night or two, and get back on the road.

“Anywhere you have open-air drug markets, anywhere you have prostitution, you’re going to have crime,” he said.

It’s why the City of Charlotte voted on whether to buy the 4.5 acres of land with dozens of motel rooms. The city would demolish and redevelop the lot -- although we don’t know what it would become.

Dawkins thinks it’s the right move, but he’s worried about residents who live there long-term.

“The main thing that we’re worried about is displacement -- as much as we’re worried about replacing the crime,” he said.

The city said it would work with Crisis Assistance Ministries to help relocate residents.

Dawkins said he just hopes whatever becomes of the place will help those who can’t afford to live there.

“What I would like to see is the city to use and refurbish these properties, to turn them into transitional housing instead of just leveling it,” he said.

The Mayor’s Racial Equity Initiative, which is a public-private partnership of city and private funds, would contribute $1 million. That funding would come from money held at the Foundation for the Carolinas.

Monday night, Charlotte City Council voted 6-3 to buy the property.

It isn’t the first time the city has brought property to help fight crime. In 2022, Charlotte leaders voted to buy a strip mall on West Boulevard. Before the purchase, it was a the scene of several violent crimes, including numerous shootings.

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