TOWSON, Md. — When a problematic motel shut down in Towson, neighboring businesses hoped their troubles would end. Instead, they say the issues simply moved across the street to another hotel, creating ongoing safety concerns for the area.
Jordan Levine has owned commercial property next to the Comfort Inn for 25 years. He says police have shut down his business twice recently because of barricade situations at the hotel.
Last week, Maryland State Police busted a sex trafficking ring there involving minors.
Towson businesses say crime problems shifted from closed motel to neighboring hotel
"We had a SWAT team. We were barricaded in our building for at least an hour or two, where nobody could even leave the building," Levine said.
When the Days Inn on Loch Raven Boulevard closed earlier this year, many thought the problems would disappear. Instead, business owners say the problems moved directly across the street to the Comfort Inn.
Levine, who chaired the Joppa Loch Raven Task Force, says the cycle of crime is hurting the area.
"The police say they deal with the issues that arise in the hotel, but they can't necessarily deal with the clientele that the hotel is welcoming in," Levine said.
Baltimore County officials say they're well aware of the problems in the area, including issues at another motel, the Welcome Inn, where police investigated a double shooting and barricade situation four years ago.
Terry Hickey, director of Baltimore County's Department of Housing and Community Development, says the problems at these properties existed long before county involvement.
"The calls to service that we researched were pretty significant at all three properties long before we were involved," Hickey said. "So we knew that that corner was problematic, and of course, the county had been talking to businesses in the area that were concerned about the traffic at the hotels."
Hickey says the problem isn't simply people moving from hotel to hotel. He says the issues really trace back to the county's housing shortage.
"There's a tendency to conflate people that can find rooms in hotels that are cheap enough and allow for extended stay and have to live next door to crime and other issues," Hickey said. "It all traces back to this significant lack of housing inventory that we have in the county."
The former Days Inn will be razed next year for a new apartment complex with affordable units. Meanwhile, the Comfort Inn owners said in an email they've strengthened security measures, including increased staff training and closer monitoring of guest activity.
Levine says business owners will keep working with police and county officials until they see positive change.
"We always feel we take one step forward and two steps backward," Levine said.
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