Gastonia neighbors, store owners not sad to see Budget Inn torn down

GASTON COUNTY, N.C. — The Budget Inn property in Gastonia is being torn down, piece by piece, marking the last demolition needed before the city can move forward with a major development plan.

Channel 9 reporter Ken Lemon spent the morning watching the building come down and talking to nearby business owners who said they're happy to see the last of the property.

Crews began ripping out the inside of rooms on Friday, and the walls at the inn will start to come down next week.

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The whole process is expected to be finished by next month, which can’t come soon enough for some business owners, who told Lemon they relished the noise Friday morning, with one even comparing it to church bells.

Shop owners and people who live nearby said the Budget Inn was a hot spot for problems. They told Lemon that police were called there daily, sometimes several times a day for everything from fights to suspected drugs.

Often, people drawn to the motel would pass out on store owners' property, panhandle customers, or get in fights with property owners who asked them to leave.

Bobbie Michaels' family owns a U-haul operation just across the street from the motel.

"They would harass my customers, panhandling for change, cigarettes,” Michaels said.

That all ended though when the city purchased the inn property for a million dollars and tenants moved out in June.

[READ MORE: Families forced to leave Gastonia motel after it was purchased by the city]

Officials plan to revitalize the community by turning the property into a mix of businesses anchored by a baseball field for a minor league team that could be used for concerts and major events.

Cox Media Group