Press and Testimonials

NORFOLK - The Lafayette Motor Hotel has provided owners Lal and Kay Mirpuri a decent income for 12 years and the opportunity to put their daughter through law school.

The Granby Street motel unlocked the American dream for the natives of India, who view the pinkish three-story building as a fine structure. But others think less of the property at 4233 Granby St. in the city's Riverview commercial corridor. Critics have called it an eyesore, an impediment to the neighborhood's revitalization.

But now the Mirpuris see an opportunity in Riverview's redevelopment. Two condo projects planned nearby make them think the hotel and its property, near the banks of the Lafayette River, may be more valuable than ever.

So they have decided to sell it at an auction at 1 p.m. on June 23.

"The market has peaked. There are only a few blocks left on Granby Street," Kay! Mirpuri said. "This is the right time. The developers are in a grab-grab mood."

The sale of the motel, coupled with the two condo projects, could boost Riverview's emergence as a mixed-use community, city officials, neighborhood residents and shop owners said.

Axis Development Co. plans to transform a vacant lot at the foot of the Granby Street Bridge into 27 luxury, waterfront condominiums. Ground will be broken on Tanners Landing in mid-July, and it is scheduled to open next spring.

The parcel has laid dormant for many years. For a little over a month each year, it's home to a Christmas tree lot.

At least eight units, which range in price from $375,000 to $650,000, have already been sold, said Axis Development's Tony Collins. The four-story complex will offer two- and three-bedroom condominiums, each with views of the Lafayette River, and featuring nine-foot ceilings, hardwood floors, granite counter tops and ceramic tile bathrooms.

The! complex will also include 10 deeded boat slips, which are available t o condo owners on a first-come, first-served basis.

"We've committed to the city to do something really nice there," Collins said.

Riverview resident Rosemary Zemanian, who helped merchants and property owners form the Riverview Village Business Association, said that Collins worked with the community to plan the development, which "showed his commitment."

Just south of the hotel property, the city is poised to invest $700,000 to rebuild the deteriorated Haven Creek boat ramp at the corner of Llewellyn and Delaware avenues and restore the adjoining bulkhead.

The money is in the 2006 budget, but officials cannot say when the project will be complete. The ramp needs to be designed, then permits must be obtained from federal and state regulatory agencies, Assistant City Manager Stanley Stein said.

And the owner of a 5.2-acre parcel of land that wraps around the hotel property plans to break ground there on a seven-story, 130-unit, crescent-sha! ped condominium complex early in 2006. The owner, Lafayette River Properties LLC, is a joint venture between lawyer Peter G. Decker Jr. and businessman Alfred E. Abiouness.

The Mirpuris see their hotel property as a potential part of that redevelopment. Their daughter, Misty, graduated from the Regent University School of Law last month. Wanting to be free from operating a hotel and concerned that the real estate market might soon deflate, the couple decided to sell.

Opened in April 1964, the 80-unit hotel sits on tall pilings over a parking lot. It originally catered to yachtsmen, tourists, executives. With some investment, it could easily become a chain hotel or a condominium complex, said Kay Mirpuri, 54.

"The way Marriott hotels are, you can get 120 rooms out of this property," she said.

The couple bought the one-acre property and structure in 1993 for $559,000. It is currently assessed at $567,600, according to city records. The Mirpuris wou! ld not disclose how much they want for the property.

Lal Mirpur i, 60, anticipates many bidders. The hotel property has been coveted for some time.

In 2002, the city of Norfolk announced a plan to buy the hotel and close it along with the stretch of Llewellyn Avenue that runs in front of it. The one-acre triangle would have been turned into a public park. But the Mirpuris wouldn't sell, and the city never used its power of eminent domain to force the issue.

The couple speculated at the time that the city wanted the property to help Decker and Abiouness with their plans. Abiouness said Thursday their condominium development does not hinge on acquiring the hotel. But he and Decker plan to at least attend the auction.

"We are going to be there and see what is going on," Abiouness said. "We don't know what we are going to do, yet. Pete and I have talked about it and we are going to see what happens. If someone else wants it bad enough, we might not go for it."

Decker was out of town on Thursday and could not be re! ached for comment.

Zemanian, the Riverview resident, is excited about the prospects for the hotel site.

"It's been a long time coming," she said. "Hopefully, whatever happens there will be compatible with the neighborhood."

Alice McCoy, owner of the Riverview Coffee Parlor, wants to see property and business values rise in the area.

"It's a step in the right direction," McCoy said. "Since the motel owner was not willing to improve the building or the site, the new owners hopefully will."

Councilman W. Randy Wright said the city is eager for a change at the property.

"It will be a big plus for the city to see that thing go as we know it today," Wright said.

The Mirpuris have no preference for the fate of the hotel after it is sold. To express his indifference, Lal Mirpuri referred to a response from Jawaharlal Nehru, the former prime minister of India, when asked who should succeed him.

"He said something like, 'After I am gone, the world is dead to me. Anybody and everybody,' " Mirpuri said. "Future people can do better things."

* Reach Battinto Batts at 446-2642 or battinto.batts@pilotonline.com.

* Reach Debbie Messina at (757) 446-2588 or debbie.messina@pilot online.com.

The Lafayette Motor Hotel at 4233 Granby St. in Norfolk will be auctioned on June 23. The sale of the motel, coupled with two nearby condo projects, could boost property values in the Riverview community.