Upcoming demolition of one-time Springs motel has neighborhood restaurant both excited, concerned

For 14 years waitress Cheryl Chavez has taken orders from customers inside Sheldon’s Luncheonette, a staple on 8th St. In Colorado Springs.

Every day she looks out the window and sees a vacant Express Inn. Once a hopping motel, the property is now nothing more than a dormant, ugly building. But not for much longer.

“It’s going to be wonderful,” Chavez said. “They’re getting rid of this eyesore across the street. It’s just a lot of concrete. Nothing has been done with it all these years. It’s going to be a different view, that’s for sure.”

CDOT will demolish what was the Express Inn Monday morning.

“Finally, you’re actually going to flatten the eyesore that is there,” Colorado Springs resident Don Louie said.

In the coming months, CDOT the land as a staging area for the I-25 Cimarron interchange project that will begin in the spring of next year.

But for Chavez and Sheldon’s Luncheonette this demolition comes with some pause because of the pending construction that could hurt business at this mom and pop spot.

The same customers have been coming here many, many years. you just don’t see places like this,” Chavez said. “Everything is made from scratch here. In order to get all of that we have stay in business. People are afraid of change. A lot of the west side people don’t like that. But, it’s coming.”

As CDOT preps for the future, Sheldon’s present could soon feel quite a hit.

The destruction of the Express Inn is scheduled for 10 a.m. Monday.