City Shutting Down Toccoa Motel, Budget Inn

The city of Toccoa is condeming two more city hotels.

Monday, Toccoa officials announced that the Budget Inn and Toccoa Motel, both located on Currahee Street, were inspected on May 4 and found as unfit for human habitation.

City officials said that after being notified of the violations, the owner of Budget Inn and Toccoa Motel made the decision to voluntarily close effective June 5.

Toccoa City Manager Billy Morse said an inspection by city departments showed that every room in both facilities was in violation of the basic minimum housing standards as required by the city of Toccoa and the State of Georgia.

“We did find violations in every room,” said Morse. “We found lack of fire protection, no smoke detectors, exposed electrical wiring, leaking roofs, mold and mildew, insects, and unsafe cooking devices.”

Morse said all of that caused the properties to be declared unsafe and unsanitary.

Meanwhile, Toccoa Mayor Terry Carter said that community beautification and code enforcement continue to be major goals of the Toccoa City Commission.

Carter said the elimination of unsafe and unsanitary conditions is a big part of that process.

“The announcement of the closing of two more extended stay facilities demonstrates the city of Toccoa’s commitment to addressing the substandard housing conditions in our community,” said Carter. “For far too long motels, which have turned their tourist accommodation rooms into permanent housing and have been allowed to operate with unsafe and unsanitary conditions. At the same time, charging their residents upwards of $500 to $600 per month and not meeting the minimum conditions which are required by state and local building codes.”

Toccoa City Commissioner Gail Fry agreed, saying that a lack of action to force properties to clean up and follow the city’s and state’s regulations insinuates permission and the city must no longer allow that to happen.

As for the future of the Budget Inn and Toccoa Motel, Morse said it is his understanding that the owner is going to try to make changes to meet the rules that are in place.

“The owners of the Toccoa Motel and Budget Inn clearly want to re-model and improve their properties, so we will be working with them to make sure they do it in a way that will meet all of the health and housing codes,” said Morse.

Each community in Georgia is required by state law to adopt and enforce the Standard Housing Code.

That housing code provides requirements necessary to maintain any residential dwelling unit in a safe and sanitary condition.

Assisting the Health Department, the city of Toccoa is enforcing these regulations.

City officials said that of specific concern are the motels that have been converted to Extended Stay Facilities, as the Stephens County Health Department has also established this as one of their goals and asked for the city’s assistance in eliminating unhealthy conditions.

These are the second and third hotels shut down by the city for unsafe and unsanitary conditions in recent weeks.

Back in late April, the city also declared the Host Inn on Big A Road unfit for human habitation and it was closed voluntarily effective last week.