Sycamore Motel Residents To Be Evicted by Town of Colonie

The struggle is real. The rent is too damn high! A lot of residents in the county of Albany use motels to keep a roof over their heads when they struggle to find their own property to rent. Well, unfortunately, those same people will be misplaced due to the Town of Colonie handing out violations to Sycamore Motel.

According to Spotlight News, The Town of Colonie has filed a twenty-four count violation against the Sycamore Motel and its owner of record, Suman C. Patel, for allowing the premises to be used as sub-standard long-term housing in violation of Chapter 119 of the Colonie Town Code, entitled “Occupancy.” There was an investigation conducted by the Colonie Police Department back in August 2019 that disclosed at least 22 residents of the motel have lived at the premises in excess of the 28-day occupancy limit established by the Town Code. Some of the residents were living there for more than a year and the investigation showed they were living in deplorable conditions paying $50 a day according to the motel’s records. That’s approximately $1,500 dollars per month, for rent with no services are provided by the motel.

But what are you supposed to do when you can’t get an apartment in your name or find your own place to live? These motels are a last resort for a lot of people, and now they will be displaced. The Town will work with the Red Cross and the County of Albany to assist these people with finding another place to live.