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Economy Inn closing after Holland revokes license

Posted at 4:04 PM, Oct 12, 2018
and last updated 2018-10-12 17:26:28-04

HOLLAND, Mich. -- The Economy Inn in Holland is closing down after its license was revoked by the city.

"I just came out here so now I gotta move somewhere else because of the situation they got going on here," said Economy Inn resident Raymond Taylor.

Up to 40 people will be displaced because of the closure, though Holland city officials say the motel has been an ongoing problem.

"When you take a look at the five years of history here we've given lots of opportunities to say 'you have a violation' and sometimes [the owner would] make changes and sometimes he wouldn't," said Holland City Manager Keith VanBeek.

One hundred and eight calls to 911 in a six-month period, mounds of trash throughout the facility -- those are just two of the code violations that ultimately led to the inn's license being revoked Sept. 20.

That decision came as a surprise to the owner and his attorney, who issued a statement saying  they are disappointed.  They tell FOX 17 the city attorney recommended the council and hotel ownership agree on a plan to address the issues instead of revoking the license.

The statement goes on to say that the Economy Inn was in the process of assessing its options and hopes that the city council is willing to work with the owners.

Residents of the inn who are now looking for another place to live say that it was not secret that there were problems there.

"There's no up-keeping, there's no housekeeping. It's not being ran the way a hotel should be ran for you to have people staying here," said resident Mary Randall. "If you want to keep your business up and running treat your customers right."

The City of Holland says it regrets the need to take this action, but they are looking out for the residents' health and safety.  It's something made possible by an ordinance the city passed in 2016.

"This is a situation where we're enforcing on a landowner that does not have a very good history at all of taking care of his location and the people that live there," VanBeek said.

Economy Inn can't take on new occupants while its license is revoked, and the people staying there have 30 days to vacate.  For those displaced who need help finding another place to live, you can contact the Holland Rescue Mission at 616-396-2200 or Good Samaritan Ministries at 616-392-7159.