Fort Worth tears down East Lancaster motel after years of crime, violations

After years of crime complaints, hundreds of police reports and more than 100 code violations, a notorious Fort Worth motel is coming down as the city intensifies its crackdown on problem properties.

Crews began demolishing the Central Motel on East Lancaster Avenue, marking the city’s first demolition under its NET Force initiative, a coordinated effort to address properties plagued by crime and code violations.

The demolition follows years of complaints from nearby businesses and residents about conditions at the property.

“Right now, we feel way safer and better,” said Fourkan Ubaid of Metro Car Service, a nearby business.

Ubaid described problems involving damaged vehicles and broken windows at nearby offices.

Fort Worth police documented hundreds of reports associated with the motel, including prostitution, illegal drug activity and a murder.

Officer Jentry Cotton said police regularly responded to the property and worked alongside several specialized units to address criminal activity.

“We’ve been out here on a weekly basis, working with police division patrol, working with narcotics, working our vice unit,” Cotton said.

City code enforcement officials also identified 123 violations across the motel’s three buildings.

Fort Worth filed a lawsuit against the property’s owners this summer. The owners subsequently agreed to pay for the demolition in exchange for the city dropping the lawsuit.

A spokesperson for the motel declined to comment.

Cotton said the property had become a gathering place for criminal activity, with little oversight from its owners.

“The owner was not in control of the property; the criminals were on the property selling drugs out of the room,” Cotton said.

The demolition is part of Fort Worth’s NET Force program, which brings multiple city departments together to address properties associated with persistent criminal activity and code violations.

City officials say at least six additional properties, including motels, shopping centers and apartment complexes, are being targeted in the next phase of the initiative.

Signs have already been posted at some locations, warning property owners to address ongoing problems or face further enforcement action.

“We want them to be accountable. We want them to take the lead on this,” said Oscar Reyes, Fort Worth’s code enforcement superintendent.

According to city officials, some properties initially targeted through the program have since come into compliance, while others have closed.

The Central Motel is the first property demolished as part of the crackdown, but officials say additional demolitions remain possible if owners fail to resolve violations.

“We’ll come in and use all the tools that are afforded to us to bring it through to demolition, if we need to,” Reyes said.

This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC DFW. AI tools helped convert the story into a digital article, and an NBC DFW journalist edited it again before publication.