Signage adorns the front of The Marigold Hotel on Wednesday, March 2, 2022, in downtown Pendleton. The business, which the city in early December 2021 declared a nuisance property and revoked its business license, is on the market for $1.7 million.

PENDLETON — The Marigold Hotel could get a new lease on life.

Crystal Investment Properties, a Vancouver, Washington, real estate investment company, is advertising The Marigold, 105 S.E. Court Ave., as a property for sale for $1.7 million mere months after the city of Pendleton declared it a nuisance and shut it down.

Crystal Investment describes the property as a 47-room hotel that includes a commercial kitchen located in Pendleton’s historic downtown area.

But the advertisement doesn’t explain why the motel isn’t operational.

“Hotel is not currently operating,” the ad states. “Buyer to conduct all investigations into suitability for use.”

Crystal Investment also brokered the last time The Marigold was sold in 2019. The buyer, Shivam Patel and his business Mahantam Hospitality of Columbia City, bought the property for $1.5 million.

Shortly after Patel took over, police began to respond to an uptick in calls for service at the hotel. Pendleton Police Chief Chuck Byram attributed the criminal activity at the motel to Patel’s staff and their permissive attitude and complicity with hotel guest behavior. The situation reached a head in 2021 when a man at The Marigold opened fire at a car that was driving away from the hotel, injuring a 17-year-old boy.

The city in early December 2021 declared The Marigold a nuisance and revoked its business license, but Patel appealed the decision to the city council. Patel argued he intended to make a more hands-on role with the business, had made necessary staffing changes and was in the process of upgrading the building’s security features.

But Patel’s promises weren’t enough to convince the city council to reverse the decision, meaning The Marigold was forced to stay closed.

Patel has since put the hotel on the market, and Charles Denight, the associate director of the Pendleton Development Commission, said he already has seen signs the property may come off the market soon.

Denight and other Pendleton economic development officials took an active role in marketing a vacant motel at 310 S.E. Dorion Ave. to the Portland-based Cascadia Hospitality. After purchasing the property, Cascadia is renovating it and plans to reopen the hotel as the MotoLodge later this year.

Denight said he’s not playing the same role this time around because the circumstances are different. Whereas Cascadia needed to be convinced to take a detour into Pendleton on its way to scoping out a property in Baker City, Denight said prospective owners are inquiring about what kind of financial aid the urban renewal district could offer to The Marigold.

“It’s been much more direct,” he said.

Denight said Pendleton seems to be a hot market right now, pointing to the steeply rising price of houses. Coming out of the pandemic, the local hospitality industry also is growing. Besides MotoLodge, a new Radisson hotel at the Pendleton airport is expected to open this summer. And the owner of Pendleton’s Holiday Inn has announced his intent to build a new building for the franchise while maintaining the current motel under a different brand name.