Airlane Motel for sale again

If sold, problematic property could operate as motel again or as another business

Vacant for two years, the former Airlane Motel is on the market for $1.2 million. (Photo by Steve Lannen)

A Georgetown property with a history of crime and complaints from neighbors is on the market again.

The former Airlane Motel, 7070 E. Marginal Way S, is listed for $1.2 million. That is nearly half the $2.1 million asking price when it was previously listed in 2022, but did not sell.

The optimistic listing by Keller-Williams Realty Tacoma suggests the 21-room "boutique" hotel on a quarter acre could realize "tons of upside" after renovation. It also mentions "tons of breweries, restaurants and nightlife nearby" for motel guests.

But residents on Flora Avenue S recall a motel that generated its own seedy scene. It became a hub for drugs and prostitution drawing the ire of residents who had to deal with abandoned cars, sleep interrupted by screaming or people relieving themselves in their front yards.

Twelve years ago, Seattle Police designated the hotel a "chronic nuisance property" and threatened fines and property seizure. In February 2023, a 30-year-old man was shot and killed inside the motel. The case remains unsolved. In May 2023, a fire in a room caused $60,000 damage. Renovations began, but the motel never reopened. Weeds grew around the property and graffiti covered the once off-white walls. A large pile of tires formed behind the motel.

Last fall, a series of complaints filed with the city indicated squatters had broken into the building and were regularly "coming and going" through broken windows and doors. In early March, the Seattle Department of Construction and Inspection issued an emergency order to close the building due to "high hazard conditions." Wood boards sealed off the front entrance.

Calls and emails to the city's SDCI spokesman asking for more details of SDCI findings were not returned. Attempts to reach the property owner, SEED 153 LLC, were also unsuccessful.

Although next to a residential neighborhood, the property is zoned for commercial use. This means the property could continue as a motel or apartments, but it could also become the site of a warehouse, retail, some types of manufacturing, a restaurant, church or even a cabaret.