City working with Sunray Hotel ownership to have numerous code violations fixed

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Police, fire, code enforcement, building inspectors, and housing staff spent the afternoon Tuesday at the Sunray Hotel in South Lake Tahoe after a meeting had been set up by the City to address numerous complaints at the property with the owner.

While they were there, smoke was detected in a room and the fire department responded to extinguish a fire in one of the rooms.

There has been a long line of motels occupying the space that was once home to Lake Tahoe Community College classrooms at 2659 Lake Tahoe Blvd. According to a fictitious name search, the Sunray Tahoe Hotel has been operating since 2015 and is owned by a company named Fragrance, LLC.

The City has been getting a lot of calls and complaints about substandard code violations, according to Hilary Roverud, the City's Director of Development Services.

Roverud said the focus of the conversation was, "How do we get this property up to code?"

Many of those staying at the Sunray have been there for a long period, using the weekly rentals to live in. Of the 72 rooms, about 22 are occupied by those paying rents, and several had been taken over by the homeless who kicked in the doors and started staying in the rooms without paying, according to residents.

During the meeting and following inspection, the South Lake Tahoe Police Department (SLTPD) said they would return Wednesday and start investigating civil trespassing claims, which they did. The City wants to get a sense of renters, and squatters, if any.

Roverud said they agreed with the property owner who will board up any vacant units. On Tuesday, some of those vacant units were full of trash, food, waste, and signs of mouse infestation with no working toilet.

Within 30 days, the owner must submit their plans for correcting the building issues and addressing health and safety code violations.

The building is not condemned at this time, and no paying renters are being evicted. The building has been on a fire watch since February 23. This means Sunray personnel must be on site 24 hours/day and maintain a daily log detailing their rounds of the property. The fire code violations were egregious enough to warrant the fire watch, City staff said. The fire watch will continue until all violations are fixed.

Roverud said the owner is considering turning the place back into a nightly motel.

The City is creating a Notice of Violation that will document what needs to be done, including plans submitted within 30 days. At that time next steps will be laid out.

One of the residents watching the action on Tuesday, Randy Michaelis, said he has not been able to take a shower in his unit for six months. He said there is no hot water, and at times there is no electricity.

With a lack of affordable housing, Michaelis and others are worried about what will happen should the owner not bring the building into compliance. He said he pays $400 per week for adjoining rooms for him and his girlfriend.

This is not the first property the City has put on fire watch. Bart's Tahoe Apartments has had a long list of violations to address since December, 2018. Roverud said there is just a small checklist left at that property. Also In December 2018, families were displaced from their Spruce Avenue apartment after it was found to be unsafe with numerous violations. That property has since been sold and plans are being submitted for remodeling.