Troubled hotel in Las Vegas Trail will be renovated for homeless families

When Manny Ramirez worked the Las Vegas Trail area as a patrol officer, he frequently went to calls about drug deals and other crimes at the Express Inn hotel, formerly the Knights Inn, just south of Interstate 30.

Now, as a newly elected Tarrant County commissioner, he is helping with a partnership agreement that includes the county, the city of Fort Worth, Tarrant Housing Solutions and other nonprofits to renovate the motel to provide permanent housing for homeless families.

Ramirez said commissioners will vote to approve the agreement during Tuesday’s Commissioners Court meeting.

“We couldn’t be more excited,” Ramirez said. “The hotel will provide permanent supportive housing and help these families get back on their feet.”

Under the agreement, Tarrant County will provide $8 million, Fort Worth will provide $2 million and philanthropies will give over $1 million for the revitalization project.

Ramirez said the agreement will help with solutions for “complex challenges” such as reducing homelessness and improving public safety.

Ramirez said groundbreaking for the hotel project will be in May, and that work is scheduled to be finished by May of 2024.

The hotel has been a nuisance for years, Ramirez said.

“It really is an environment that feeds on the vulnerable,” he said.

Besides renovating the hotel the project includes bringing in services like Workforce Solutions, Cook Children’s and the JPS Health Network.

Ramirez added that revitalizing the Knights Inn will bring other businesses to the Las Vegas Trail.

The Fort Worth city council will also get a report on the project during its 1 p.m. work session Tuesday.

The city has invested $3.5 million into the Las Vegas Trail area as part of its neighborhood improvement program, with more street lights, security cameras and trash cans.

In February, representatives from health care, housing, food and education nonprofits met at the Rise Community Center to coordinate efforts to revitalize the area.

The Las Vegas Trail area is home to about 14,000 residents in a 1.7-square-mile area. There is a 33% poverty rate and estimated 10% unemployment rate.