The city of Myrtle Beach deemed the city owned White Sands Motel unsafe this past Monday, leaving more than 20 families and residents homeless.
The motel is located in the 7th Avenue block. This is the very block that the City of Myrtle Beach has been acquiring properties over the past two years. The city of Myrtle Beach purchased the White Sands Motel last year under the Oceanfront Redevelopment Project and leased it back to the former owner for one more season.
The Circumstances
After a plumbing issue, code enforcement shut down the White Sands Motel along Ocean Boulevard.
As a result of the unexpected order, many families, including those with young children and children with disabilities, were unsure where to turn.
One residents says she has lived in the motel with her husband for four years. Her husband, Eddy, has only one leg, and she is unable to push him in a wheelchair because of her own health issues.
By order of the city’s code enforcement team, the property was permanently closed on Monday due to water and sewer issues that rendered it uninhabitable.
It is two weeks earlier than planned, and Kruea said “there was no other alternative.” One alternative, however, would have been to timely close the motel after it was purchased last year giving the residents who lived here time to relocate. This unforced error falls entirely on the City of Myrtle Beach.
“Only 10 rooms in the White Sands were occupied, at most, and the city is assisting tenants with temporary housing,” Kruea said. “The White Sands will be demolished, as we have done with other properties we purchased between Sixth and Eighth Avenues North in recent years.”
Brian Tucker, assistant city manager, told WMBF News that the city was unaware of the tenants’ living conditions. The city owned the property, however, it clearly was not ensuring accountability at the location.
Bouchra Baihoum, the owner of the motel, also didn’t explain to the city that residents were paying weekly for long-term housing.