The Cleveland Motel, located at 22735 Lorain Road, will be demolished and the property purchased by the city of Fairview Park. (West Life photo by Larry Bennet)

City to purchase Cleveland Motel site
By Kevin Kelley
Fairview Park
Published Jan. 21, 2009

Say goodbye to the Cleveland Motel.

Fairview Park has reached an agreement to purchase the property, located at 22735 Lorain Road, for $120,000. City Council unanimously passed an ordinance authorizing the purchase at its meeting Monday night.

Under the purchase agreement, which was completed Thursday, owner Jitendra Kapasi must vacate the property within 45 days and pay for the demolition of the structure.

City officials have long complained that the motel was a nuisance to the neighborhood. Mayor Eileen Patton said that the city received constant complaints from neighbors over noise and motel guests coming and going at all hours.

“The police were there all the time,” Patton said. “It’s been a constant battle with (Kapasi) over the years over the safety and health and welfare of the business he was running.”

The mayor said the purchase was made for the benefit of the residents. She added that she believed the eventual redevelopment of the site will result in a rebirth for the western section of Lorain Road in Fairview Park.

Patton said the motel had outlived its usefulness and become a burden to the city’s municipal departments.

“I say over and over again, this is a city that welcomes all businesses as long as they abide by the codes and the laws,” Patton said at Monday’s meeting. “But when they don’t, then the city is there to make sure they’re enforced.“

In 2006, Cuyahoga County Board of Health inspectors reported finding unsanitary conditions in several rooms. In December of that year, the city’s building department found 52 code violations at the property. In 2000, the building was condemned by the city and its certificate of occupancy was withdrawn.

Funds to purchase the property will be borrowed from the city’s permanent improvement fund and repaid once the property is sold to private enterprise.

At Monday night’s council meeting, Development Director Jim Kennedy said the city will market the land for redevelopment.

“We don’t have anything in mind (for the site) at this point,” Kennedy said. He said he believed the best use for the land would be office space.

The land is currently zoned for general business.

Both Patton and Kennedy said a bank had made an offer of $250,000 for the property within the past two years, but Kapasi turned down the offer.

The city plans to land bank the property until a buyer is found, Kennedy said. The property qualifies for a state land bank program under which the city will not have to pay property taxes to the county, Finance Director Lisa Rocco said.

The city’s purchase of the property will coincide with a global settlement of all criminal charges against Kapasi, according to Law Director Sara Fagnilli.

Last year, Kapasi was cited six times with violating a city law prohibiting guests from staying at a motel for more than 30 days. In 2007, Kapasi was convicted of violating that same law in Rocky River Court and briefly served time in jail.

Calls by West Life to Kapasi’s attorney were not returned by press time.

Previous West Life articles:

• City inspections of motel halted by court order (March 8, 2006)