Myrtle Beach motel owner appeals city’s decision to demolish property

An owner of a motel in Myrtle Beach that has been temporarily closed after a court found an “alarming” volume of calls for service there related to drugs and overdoses appealed a decision to demolish the business.

Vishu Bhambhani, who is owner of the Coral Sands Motel on Ocean Boulevard, appealed the city council’s order on Dec. 8, according to Horry County online court records.

Tucker Player, an attorney for Bhambhani, has not responded to The Sun News’ request for comment as of Tuesday afternoon.

Mark Kruea, spokesman for the city, said Tuesday they do not usually comment on pending litigation.

The council voted in November to demolish the business due to repair costs being much higher than the assessed value of the property, which is $330,600.00, according to the county assessor’s office per online court records.

Buildings 301, 302 and 303 would be torn down.

The motions were introduced to council due to code violations and damage to the property.

The Horry County court’s decision in October called for the Ocean Boulevard motel to close for one year. Local aw enforcement sued in June to close the Coral Sands motel for at least a year or until it cleans up its act.

An investigation, started in 2018 by Myrtle Beach police, found that for several years guests and employees of the Ocean Boulevard motel used and sold illegal drugs and engaged in prostitution inside, the lawsuit says.

This story was originally published December 14, 2021 at 12:26 PM.