Fort Worth has taken a sledgehammer to one of its most notorious problem properties, tearing down the Central Motel on East Lancaster Avenue after years of criminal activity, hundreds of police calls and more than 100 code violations piled up against the site.
Demolition crews moved in to bring down the three-building property, marking the first demolition carried out under the city’s NET Force initiative — a multi-department program designed to hold problem property owners accountable through coordinated enforcement action.
Fort Worth police documented a staggering number of incidents tied to the motel, including prostitution, illegal drug sales and a murder. Officer Jentry Cotton said officers from patrol, narcotics and the vice unit were responding to the property on a weekly basis.
“The owner was not in control of the property — the criminals were on the property selling drugs out of the room” Cotton said.
City code enforcement officials catalogued 123 separate violations across the motel’s buildings. Fort Worth filed a lawsuit against the owners this past summer and the owners ultimately agreed to fund the demolition themselves in exchange for the city dropping the legal action.
Nearby business owners say the change is already being felt. Fourkan Ubaid of Metro Car Service said his business suffered damage from activity tied to the motel and described the demolition as a relief for the surrounding community.
“Right now we feel way safer and better” Ubaid said.
Code enforcement superintendent Oscar Reyes said the goal of the NET Force program is to push property owners to take responsibility before the city is forced to act. “We want them to be accountable. We want them to take the lead on this” Reyes said.
The Central Motel is only the beginning. City officials say at least six additional properties are being targeted in the next phase of the initiative including motels, apartment complexes and shopping centers. Warning signs have already been posted at some of those locations alerting owners to address violations or face further enforcement.
Reyes made clear that demolition remains on the table for any owner who fails to act. “We’ll come in and use all the tools that are afforded to us to bring it through to demolition if we need to” he said.
Officials noted that some properties originally flagged under NET Force have since come into compliance while others have shut down entirely, suggesting the program is producing results even before demolition becomes necessary.