The Frontier Motel in Carson City may be shut down permanently due to consistent lack of care-taking, crime and health concerns
Submitted by Kelsey Penrose on Fri, 04/09/2021 - 9:35am
The Carson City Board of Supervisor’s will be discussing whether or not to issue an order to the Frontier Motel’s business owner for a show cause hearing which could lead to a revocation of its owner’s business license. The city has noted that the motel is a haven for drug use, physical abuse, and numerous health concerns.
According to the agenda, the Board may choose to issue a notice to Five Star Motel LLC., the owners of the Frontier Motel, to show cause as to why their business license should not be suspended, cancelled or revoked.
According to the agenda, the Carson City Sherriff's Office has observed that the hotel located at 1718 North Carson Street is a location that is frequented by “vagrants and criminals,” with associated activities that result in increased demand for the Sheriff's office services.
The Carson City Department of Health and Human Services has observed that the hotel units have had bed bugs, mice and cockroaches. CCMC 4.04.210 establishes the process for suspending, canceling or revoking a business license based on "good cause", which includes the commission of, or permitting or causing the commission of, any act in the operation of the business which act is made unlawful or is prohibited by any ordinance, rule or law of Carson City, or state or federal government and the existence of unsanitary conditions at, near or in the premises which cause or tend to create a public nuisance or which injuriously affects the public health, safety or welfare.
The Sheriff’s Office collected data and completed a comparative study of calls for service to seven local long term motels. The Sheriff’s Office used data from 2018-2020 for the following motel properties:
• Carson City Flats (801 N Carson St): 33 units
• Frontier / Royal Inn (1718 N Carson Street): 56 units
• Warren Inn (1850 N Carson St); 50 units
• Carson City Inn (1930 N Carson St): 62 units
• Carson Heights / Silver Queen (201 W Caroline); 36 units
• Nugget Hotel (651 N Stewart): 60 units
• Stewart Street Inn (323 N Stewart): 50 units
• Veranda View (1010 S Carson St): 35 units
The data collected revealed that the Frontier Motel has almost twice as many calls for service as the other properties and that those calls for service are increasing year after year, and deputies have made numerous drug arrests at the location.
“Due to the Royal Inn/ Frontier Motel management’s lack of property supervision the location has become a destination where criminals gather and network,” the agenda states. “Calls for service range from battery with a deadly weapon, fights, gang activity, hand to hand drug deals, death investigations related to drug overdoses and drug trafficking. The frequent calls for service and the Royal Inn/ Frontier Motel management’s inability to control their tenants are straining the Sheriff's office response capabilities and reducing capacity of the Sheriff's office to provide services to the rest of our community.”
According to the agenda, the Frontier Motel has room doors that are unable to be secured due to structural damage. It also has multiple abandoned and unregistered vehicles parked throughout the property. The property frequently does not have onsite property managers, according to the report.
Deputies have come across rooms without beds and the occupants were sleeping on the floor. The Sheriff’s Office has also investigated care-takers of the property for crimes of domestic battery and drug sales.
The Sheriff's office has opined that without an immediate intervention, the Royal Inn/ Frontier Motel’s management will continue to lack the motivation to improve their substandard business practices. The calls for service will continue to increase and public safety services will continue to be strained as a result.
In addition to the concerns raised by the Sheriff's Office, the City's Health Department has conducted periodic inspections on the premise as part of the motel task force, and observed evidence of bed bugs, mice and cockroaches in the hotel units.
On April 12, 2021, Health Inspectors will return to inspect the hotel. A report on that inspection will be provided to the Board at its meeting of April 15, 2021.
