“Let me be clear, it’s coming down,” Oyster Bay Town Supervisor Joseph Salaidno said on Tuesday, Jan. 20, about the Budget Inn in Massapequa.
The town began razing the inn at 400 Carman Mill Road in 2024, following a legal battle between the property owners and the town.
Saladino called the motel “one of the biggest eyesores in this community,” and said it dragged down the quality of life in the area and put public safety at risk.
Town officials said the property was the site of illicit activity and that the motel had multiple code violations.
A judge ordered the two-story motel closed and its permits revoked in 2024, after the town sued the property owners in February of that year.
The town had said the lawsuit was to address what it called “longstanding concerns about the property, which was deemed structurally dangerous and a hub for criminal activity.”
The motel owners sued the town two months later, claiming the town had violated its own code.
The town and the motel owners announced a settlement in July 2024 that included the permanent closure of the Budget Inn and its demolition.
Under the terms of the settlement, the Budget Inn was to be demolished by June 30, 2025, and the town would be reimbursed for expenses incurred during the legal process.
In October 2025, a judge said that attorneys for Om Shiv Shai Guru Inc., the property owner of the Budget Inn, had failed to provide sufficient reasons to warrant a delay in the demolition.
Town officials said its highway department will be responsible for most of the razing process.
Saladino said the town stood with the residents throughout its legal battle and that the town is discussing next steps regarding the site, including possibly acquiring the property.
