Braintree Motel 6 Loses Operating License; Must Shut Down

BRAINTREE, MA — After Tuesday, the Motel 6 on Union Street will no longer be allowed to operate, per order of the board of health.

Following a lengthy hearing that went well over three hours, the board voted 3-0 to revoke the operating license for the controversial hotel. Despite some disagreement over when the hotel could resume operation following their June 1 voluntary closure, the business may operate for five days to wind down their operation, as is allowed by town law.

The hearing was a continued from the May 18 hearing where the motel agreed to temporarily close starting June 1, with the understanding that they would work with town officials on a new plan. At the end of the meeting, there was some debate over whether the closure ended at the conclusion of the meeting or after 45 days.

Motel 6 has been under heavy scrutiny since an officer was shot while serving a warrant on May 5. Motel officials attempted to save their business by promising more security cameras, a credit-card only operation, better lighting, and fencing around the property line and building.

For Braintree officials, whose first conversations with the motel officials since May came earlier this week, it was not enough for a property that has become known for being the scene of a high amount of arrests and incidents.

“If Motel 6 was serious about partnering with the town, they wouldn’t have waited until hours before the hearing to show their plan. There was no working solution that happened between the first hearing and now,” Braintree Town Council President Sean Powers said after the meeting.

District 5 Councilor Michael Owens, whose district includes Motel 6, was less impressed with the proposal.

“The issues at the site were people who were invited, people who paid to be there, not people there without a reason. They were not prepared, they brought nothing to the table and that’s the culture of the way they operate,” Owens said.

Representatives from the motel defended the crime rate, telling the board that it is high because they have a police detail and the police department received a list of guests, allowing them to arrests customers with active warrants. They also said the proximity to the Braintree Red Line station plays a role.

Officer Ed Woo mentioned that the majority of arrests at the motel are for warrants, but even without the warrant arrests, they still have far more arrests and incidents than any other hotel in town.

“Everything you have done has been in response to major incidents. You have a marked police car on the property, yet you have these problems. It defies logic. If I'm up to no good, why would I go to that property? Yet they do,” Lt. Michael Want said during the meeting.

As for the future of the site, Owens and Sullivan said they would be open to another hotel, but the new owner would have to be willing to operate in a different fashion and present something that involved redevelopment.

“It’s a spot for a higher level hotel. It’s a great location. It’s a spot for a significant redevelopment and we deserve better,” Sullivan said.

Image: File Photo