A day that has been anticipated by many local residents is here. The City of Lakeland is scheduled to officially close on the Relax Inn Motel located at I-40 and Canada Road. The city was scheduled to close on the property at 3pm central time on March 6, 2024. On Wednesday afternoon the motel looked almost empty with the exception of two cars at the motel office.
The closing officially allows Lakeland to shutter the hotel and start the process of demolition planning. It will follow the same process and fate as the Econo Lodge Motel once the city closed on that property leading to it’s demolition. The former Econo Lodge property is scheduled to become a new Lakeland YMCA by the summer of 2025. According to officials, the demo date for the Relax Inn has not been scheduled as of yet since the planning process needs to occur first. However, most expect demolition to begin later this month.
When reached for comment, Lakeland Mayor Josh Roman was excited about the possibilities moving forward. “This is a big day for Lakeland and the reimagining of our Canada Rd exit,” Mr. Roman said. “Once demo is complete it would’ve been less than 15 months to see a drastic change proving that with the right team we can make a lasting impact quickly.”
According to this previous article, what will become of the Relax Inn property has yet to be determined. The BOC has not made any final determinations or decisions according to Michael Walker, Lakeland City Manager. On February 16, 2024, Mr. Walker told Lakeland Currents “The Board has continued to discuss the potential of the City building public facilities that would include space designed to meet the needs of the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, and those discussions with SCSO are ongoing,” he said.
