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Timetable set for razing of Florence Inn; injunction allows for much-delayed demolition by year’s end


By Mark Hansel
NKyTribune managing editor

It appears as if the demolition of the troubled Florence Inn on Dream Street will finally move forward.

A timeline has now been set by the City of Florence that would see the buildings on the property demolished by the end of the year.

Florence Mayor Diane Whalen talks with city and county officials after the Health Department issued the order to suspend the operating permit for the Flroence Inn in September, 2015 (photos by Mark Hansel).

Florence Mayor Diane Whalen talks with city and county officials after the Health Department issued the order to suspend the operating permit for the Florence Inn in September, 2015 (photos by Mark Hansel).

In August, Boone Circuit Court Judge James R. Schrand ruled in favor of the City of Florence in its request for permanent injunctive relieve in its most recent battle with Florence Inn owners Sridar Kadaba and S & J Hospitality.

While the motel owner has employed legal maneuvers to dodge the wrecking ball before, it appear Kadaba is now out of options.

In his decision, Schrand determined that the City has met the minimum standards for injunctive relief and is authorized to demolish the structures on the real estate:

“Based on the findings of fact herein, and the proof submitted at the hearing of this matter, the public at large will suffer immediate and irreparable injury if the structures on the real estate are not removed as required in the demolition order. Based upon the statutory provisions of K.R.S. 381.770, Florence is legally authorized to demolish the structures on the Real Estate.”

The decision has been a long time coming.

The Florence Code Board issued the initial demolition order in October, 2015. At that time, S & J was given 45 days to fully repair, or demolish and completely remove, all structures.

In November, S & J filed an appeal in Boone District Court questioning the legality of the demolition order, but subsequently dismissed the motion.

The roof of one of the buildings at the Florence Inn after it was shut down by the Northern Kentucky Health Department in September, 2015 for a number of critical violations.

The roof of one of the buildings at the Florence Inn after the motel was shut down by the Northern Kentucky Health Department in September, 2015 for a number of critical violations.

On January 14, Kadaba sent a letter to the City of Florence allowing unimpeded access to the facility, in order to prepare it for demolition.

The City of Florence sought the permanent injunction when Kadaba withdrew that permission in February and refused to allow bidders onto the property, after the initial timetable for demolition had been established.

Along the way, several attorneys have represented S & J Hospitality Group, including, most recently, Alexander F. Edmonson, of Edmonson & Associates. Edmonson submitted a motion to withdraw prior to the August hearing during which the permanent injunction was ordered.

The motion was denied, so the hearing could go forward, but was granted at the conclusion of the proceedings.

The Florence Inn has been vacant since it was shut down by the Northern Kentucky Health Department in September, 2015. The problems began for Kadaba and S & J Hospitality long before that.

The Northern Kentucky Tribune was first to report the Health Department’s decision to close the Florence Inn and has followed the story for more than a year.

Some significant steps in the process that ultimately led to the permanent injunction can be viewed at the following links:

https://nkytribune.com/2015/09/florence-inn-on-dream-street-shut-down-by-the-nky-health-department-for-ongoing-critical-violations/

https://nkytribune.com/2015/10/florence-inn-owners-says-hell-put-his-land-up-for-sale-as-his-lawyer-reviews-enforcement-board-ruling/

https://nkytribune.com/2015/10/florence-code-enforcement-board-orders-florence-inn-to-be-demolished-owner-has-30-days-to-appeal/

https://nkytribune.com/2016/02/demolition-of-florence-inn-is-imminent-troubled-site-could-face-the-wrecking-ball-as-soon-as-march-1/

In 2009, the City of Florence issued citations concerning health and safety violations at the Florence Inn. Over the next six years, the City issued citations for subsequent violations, and while some were corrected, many were not.

Florence Inn owner Sridar Kadaba of the S & J Hospitality Group at a Florence Code Board hearing in October 2015, during which the initial order of demolition was issued.

Florence Inn owner Sridar Kadaba of the S & J Hospitality Group at a Florence Code Enforcement Board hearing in October 2015, during which the initial order of demolition was issued.

In April, 2015, the Northern Kentucky Health Department sent a letter to Kadaba identifying 20 violations from a recent inspection, 20 of which were considered critical.

Violations included rodent droppings in unoccupied rooms, bedbugs, exposed wiring throughout unoccupied rooms and floors sagging and unable to support weight.

A subsequent inspection in May of last year indicated several of the violations had not been corrected.

In July of that year, the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services conducted a hearing and S & J Hospitality was given two months to correct the violations. The Cabinet indicated in a letter that  the motel’s permit to operate would be suspended if it was not found to be in compliance at that time.

Following the Northern Kentucky Health Department inspection on September 11, 2015, the permit to operate for the former Knights Inn at 8049 Dream Street was suspended.

Residents and guests were ordered to leave the premises by Sept. 14 and the property has been vacant since that date.

Kadaba has previously indicated that the motel had transitioned from primarily an overnight stay facility to residential housing, which made it difficult to conduct the necessary repairs.

At the time it was shut down, only about 15 of the estimated 101 rooms in use were occupied by overnight guests. The others housed weekly or monthly tenants, many of whom lived in substandard conditions, and paid about $700 per month.

Florence Mayor Diane Whalen said the injunction gives legal right for the contractors that want to bid on the project to go onto the property.

“We have to go back through the entire process, we have to advertise for bids,” Whalen said.  “It’s not anything we enter into lightly, but ultimately the good of the community as a whole is going to be served by the issuance of the injunction.”

The City of Florence has released the following timeline for demolition:

  • September 15, 2016: Legal ad advertising the project appeared in the newspaper
  • September 29, 2016: Mandatory pre-bid meeting for contractors submitting bids
  • October 6, 2016: Bid opening
  • October 20, 2016: Projected contract award date
  • October 31, 2016: Projected date contractor begins demolition
  • December 31, 2016: Projected substantial completion date.

The property has been listed for sale and its location adjacent to Interstate 71-75 would make it a prime candidate for redevelopment once demolition is complete

Kadaba could not be reached for comment.

Contact Mark Hansel at mark.hansel@nkytribune.com


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