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SALT LAKE CITY — The first day has wrapped on the demolition of the Gateway Inn, a building neighbors have long begged to come down.
"I've been waiting for it for a long time," said Nigel Swaby, Fair Park community council chairman. "This has been a nexus of crime in the area — anywhere from murder to violent attacks, to drug dealing, sex trafficking."
Located at 819 W. North Temple, the motel was looked at as a gateway for often violent crime.
KSL Investigates exposed the troubled property's problems: issues from police responding more than 1,000 times there in a year, and numerous health department violations, to a cockroach infestation and meth in the walls.
A new owner took over in September and closed the motel, with the promise of new plans.
"The new developer is going to build a five-story apartment complex, with anywhere from studio to two-bedroom homes, which we need," Swaby said. "And ground floor retail, which we also need in this area."
For Swaby, it's a chance for change.
"We're really excited to see the next phase of this community," he said.
The Gateway Inn now leaving its past in a pile of rubble.
