Lakeland’s Relax Inn should be reduced to rubble by the end of the month, the end of a long and beneficial effort by the suburb to spruce up one of its entry points.

The city closed on the acquisition of the hotel at 3645 Canada Road on Wednesday, March 6, officially taking possession of the property, according to City Manager Michael Walker.

The demolition of Lakeland’s Relax Inn is likely by early spring

And the city is wasting no time, filing for a demotion permit from Shelby County on Thursday, March 7. The razing of the dilapidated motel would be the latest elimination of an eyesore at a key entry point into Lakeland.

“This process takes about two weeks, and once approved, demolition will follow immediately thereafter,” Walker said. “By the end of March, we expect the building to have been demolished. We’re excited for this next chapter in the development of the Lakeland Gateway.”

The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office will conduct training exercises at the property next week.

Lakeland agreed to buy the hotel for $1.7 million in September 2023. Its acquisition and removal are part of the ongoing redevelopment of the Lakeland Gateway TIF, or tax-increment financing, district approved early last year.

Lakeland agrees to buy Relax Inn, avoiding condemnation

Commissioner and Vice Mayor Wesley Wright points out that by purchasing the hotel outright and avoiding condemnation, more possibilities are available for what the city can do with the property. Condemned properties must be used for public purposes.

“From what I’ve heard from people over many years, nearly everyone is just ready to see it gone,” Wright said. “Coming in off the exit, it’s often the first impression for people who visit Lakeland.”

In addition to crime at the hotel, owners had also allowed homeless tent villages to become a problem over the years.

Lakeland Mayor Josh Roman sees the property as an ideal spot for a new joint building housing a City Hall and an SCSO patrol division, but nothing has been decided as of yet.

The Relax Inn will be the second hotel/motel torn down in the city in less than six months.

Lakeland begins Econo Lodge demolition

Last November, the city condemned and demolished the nearby Econo Lodge at 9822 Huff N Puff Road. That motel and the area around it had experienced increased crime in recent years.

“We’ve already seen the improvement from the Econo Lodge being demolished as far as safety and security. Crime has dropped,” Wright said.

That property is ready for site work to begin for the new $20 million Lakeland Community Center. City officials are currently working on documentation to submit to the USDA as part of its loan program, the same used to finance the construction of the $50 million high school wing at Lakeland Preparatory School.

Once the Relax Inn is razed, the only hotel remaining in the suburb will be the Super 8 by Wyndham at 9779 Huff N Puff Road.

Several new hotels are planned near the Interstate 40-Canada Road junction, including at the 160-acre The Lake District and the 100-acre Ashmont mixed-use project.