Owner Of Ferndale's Motorama Motel Appeals Before City Council After License Revoked

FERNDALE (WWJ)  - The owner of a derelict 8 Mile Road motel will appeal before the Ferndale City Council Tuesday night in a bid to stay open.

The city council revoked the license of the Motorama Motel a few weeks ago amid a rash of police runs. Mayor Dave Coulter says a man died of an overdose on a neighbor's lawn last year after buying drugs at the Motorama.

"The police chief indicates that over the last year or year and half or so there has been a spike in the number of incidents at the motel but these problems do date back years, and you could argue that we could have taken action against this property sooner but I guess my view is 'better late than never,'" said Coulter.

Critics argue that the Motel's low-income residents would suffer if it's closed. Coulter says they are victims of a bad owner, who has allowed crime to proliferate.

"I view most of the people who live in the motel as the victims ... we're not doing this to get rid of low-income people or people who have drug issues. We are doing this to clean up the crime and the associated problems with this establishment, that this owner has allowed to happen."

He says the crimes range from drug use and prostitution to sex trafficking.