Lafayette's Circle Motel could be razed in redevelopment bid
A saga spanning the last year and a half over whether Lafayette's Circle Motel — a collection of ramshackle buildings with an even grainier past — should remain preserved as a part of the city's history was decided earlier this week, and it looks like the venerable motel will be allowed to redevelop.
The news came to the delight of the owner, Mike Macinko, whose disdain for the dilapidated buildings has led to the spectacle of an owner actively, and publicly, campaigning to demolish his own property.
The City Council tabled the discussion in December after being unable to find whether or not the structures on the property were of "overwhelming historical significance to the community," as required under the city's Historical Preservation Board.
Plans for how the property could be redeveloped are still up in the air, Macinko says. Any development plans will have to sift through the city's planning process.
Plans for high-density urban apartments were discussed last year, though city officials were wary of how such dwellings would coexist with the Old Town aesthetic.
"If you just look at the front," Lafayette City Administrater Gary Klaphake, holding a graphic of proposed townhomes behind the refurbished motel, said in December, "it's a gorgeous building that we could make out of it by spending about $350,000 — we could make a hell of a building.
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"But we looked at what's going to be built around it and we said, oh my God, it's just too much on one spot."
Macinko mused Friday that a motel — albeit new and improved — could take the place of the derelict structures that currently exist. If so, it could certainly serve a purpose; Lafayette is without a single hotel, though plans for a Hampton Inn should be realized before the end of the year, officials say.
Still, Macinko says the first step for any redevelopment comes with his ability to now do so.
"I don't know what I'm going to be able to build there," he said, "I just know that had it been landmarked, nothing could have happened — I would have been left with unusable buildings.
"My property is in the urban renewal district as designated by the city," he added. "That's where urban renewal is best suited, so I hope that what goes in there is something that creates a compelling and existing image for Lafayette as you drive into the city."
The decision put on hold a debate over the site's historical merit that has raged on for years, though it became a flash point of debate late last year after a resident attempted a third-party landmarking — which some locals supported, but others derided.
"My interest in the Circle Motel started almost 12 years ago, when I bought a house two blocks south of the motel. I've spoken to many of my neighbors over the years about the Circle Motel, and I think it's fair to say that most of us are really concerned about the state of this property," resident Vicky Uhland, who submitted the third-party landmark application in September, said at Tuesday's City Council meeting.
The property represented a prominent economic role of the Denver Loop of the Lincoln Highway, according to a study conducted during the landmark application. Before Interstate 25 was built, Colorado's major route north was through Lafayette.
"My intention for landmarking has always been to not only preserve the physical buildings associated with this motel, but also the spirit and feel of our Lincoln Highway heritage," Uhland went on to say Tuesday. "At the same time, I'm very cognizant of the hardship a third-party landmarking application can cause. My friends and neighbors will tell you I really agonized over this. I didn't want to do it. But I felt like I could never forgive myself if those buildings were demolished and I had done nothing to try and save them."
More recently, however, as one of the few options in Lafayette for those who don't have the money for a down payment and don't want a long-term lease, it has held a reputation for attracting drug dealers, sex offenders and others living on the fringe of society.
"In 15 years since I've lived there, I have witnessed the worst child-abuse case in Colorado's history," resident Jack Varga, whose Old Town home backs up to the property, said in December. "I've seen Lafayette law enforcement remove several corpses — sirens and lights constantly wake us up in the middle of the night. As of right now, there are four felon sex offenders living in the motel."
Infant Tanner Dowler, who lived with his parents in a rental trailer at the property, suffered multiple injuries after being shaken and abused by his father, Joseph Dowler. Tanner died about two months after his birth.
Issues including fires, domestic violence, sexual assaults, child abuse, theft and other crimes that present safety concerns for the residents and business owners in Lafayette, Macinko said.
Anthony Hahn: 303-473-1422, hahna@dailycamera.com or twitter.com/_anthonyhahn
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