The owner of a White Plains motel who petitioned for bankruptcy protection is blaming ICE agents for his financial troubles.
Central Motel Court Yard declared $9.2 million in assets and $7.7 million in liabilities in a Chapter 11 reorganization petition filed on Jan. 21 is U.S. Bankruptcy Court, White Plains.
Bookings began to decline due to the Covid-19 pandemic, owner Warren Miranda stated in an affidavit, and then continued “because of the presence and enforcement actions of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. Simply said, the number of people (predominantly immigrant labor) staying at the motel while simultaneously maintaining jobs in Westchester County has significantly decreased.”
Miranda does not say whether ICE agents specifically targeted the motel or were active nearby. White Plains police spokesman Anthony Drago said the police department does not have statistics on ICE activities in the city.
Central Motel Court Yard is a 2-story structure with 28 rooms on Central Avenue at Waldo Avenue, across the highway from The Dalewood shopping center.
In 2024, the motel booked more than $1.1 million in revenues, according to the petition. Last year revenues declined by 84%, to $178,447.
Miranda bought the motel in 2013 for $3,135,000, according to the deed, under his corporate name, Meryde Group of Hotels LLC. In 2017 he bought a 2-story house next door on Waldo Avenue, that is included in the bankruptcy, for $325,000.
Miranda sought land use approvals from the city in 2021 to demolish the motel and replace it with a 4-story, 87-rooom Comfort Inn franchise hotel. In June 2023, the plans were put on hold.
Now Miranda values the motel at $8.5 million and the house at $700,000.
He owes $7.2 million to an affiliate of Centra Capital Investments, a Rochelle Park, New Jersey lender that holds the mortgage. Last year, Centra filed a foreclosure action.
The motel owes the City of White Plains $241,333 in property taxes, according to the petition.
Miranda has no funds for defending against the foreclosure action, according to his affidavit, he has been unable to find investors, and he has decided to sell the property.
