Fire destroys Coeur d’Alene motel long slated for redevelopment

A long-vacant motel in Coeur d’Alene was destroyed by fire on Sunday.

Firefighters responded around 8:30 a.m. to the old Garden Motel at 1808 Northwest Blvd. to find flames climbing through the roof of the building.

The blaze was extinguished later Sunday, and investigation into the cause began Monday.

The motel was purchased in 2002 by developer Ron Ayers, who has sought to demolish the building and replace it with a $14 million, 113-room Marriott Fairfield Inn, according to the Coeur d’Alene Press.

That project has faced repeated setbacks related to funding and building codes, but Ayers told the Press in February that the new hotel could open as early as May 2020.