Lafayette plans to shut down five more ‘nuisance' motels

Following the closure of two motels on Evangeline Thruway in the span of 24 hours last week, Lafayette Consolidated Government and the 15th Judicial District Attorney's Office on Monday announced more planned closures. Lafayette Consolidated Government, in collaboration with the 15th Judicial District Court, is planning to shut down five more motels it considers 'nuisance' properties, government officials announced Monday afternoon. The announcement comes after the ad hoc court-ordered closure of two motel properties on Evangeline Thruway at the end of last week, the Express Inn and the Plantation Motor Inn. Both motels had been targeted by LCG and law enforcement for being the site of thousands of police calls combined, as well as significant drug busts and at least one homicide since 2023. University Ave. underpass mural put on ice Plans for a University Avenue underpass art project have been put on ice by M-P Monique Boulet, citing ongoing construction on the roadway. In the case of the Express Inn, all residents were told Thursday afternoon that they would not be able to spend another night at the motel, leaving some scrambling to find alternative accommodations on short notice. At the Plantation Motor Inn, the court order prevented the motel from taking on new guests immediately, 'individuals [who] have been residing at the property on a longer-term basis,' to 'remain through the expiration of their existing arrangements, whether nightly, weekly or longer-term,' up to 45 days. Hotel management asked short-term guests to leave Saturday morning. LCG announced that they would be working with the Acadiana Regional Coalition on Homelessness and Housing, the Lafayette Housing Authority and other community partners to 'coordinate relocation efforts and ensure residents have access to information, resources and potential housing options during the 45-day transition period.' ARCH Director Elsa Dimitriadis said her organization was waiting to receive a tenant roster from the Plantation Motor Inn's owners and was relying on tenants in need of housing to reach out to ARCH directly for assistance. Officials said the plan to use the court system to force closures of nuisance properties was hatched roughly six weeks ago, while emphasizing the focus on combatting crime and blight through the court-ordered closures. 'We can't just arrest our way out of these things,' Assistant District Attorney Chase Edwards said. 'We have to stop allowing there to be places where you can commit crimes all you want without consequences.' Edwards said the new strategy came about when he discovered an obscure Louisiana law that allowed for an expedited path to shut down properties where crime, drug activity or prostitution have taken place. The law has only been enforced three times in Louisiana, in New Orleans around the 1970s, Edwards noted. 'Hopefully we're sending a strong message to the other property owners and the other businesses in Lafayette that host a lot of these issues, [so] that they start cleaning it up,' Mayor-President Monique Boulet said. Officials did not disclose which five properties were next on their list.