Pima County will pay more than $800,000 to acquire the long-blighted Spanish Trail Motel, a sale that will settle South Tucson’s lawsuit against owner Brian Bowers and require him to clear asbestos, demolish buildings and remove debris before transferring the property.

The county will pay Bowers $816,000 for the property, which he purchased in 2020, according to public records obtained by Tucson Spotlight.

Bowers bought the parcels that include both the Spanish Trail Suites and Spanish Trail Motel for $3.7 million that year, according to the Pima County Assessor’s Office.

Appraisal documents show the full cash value of the properties at $8.6 million in 2025.

The sale agreement, which is still pending, says Bowers has 45 days to remove rubble, a water well and tank, and provide the county with a report showing no further environmental issues at the motel.

He must also notify the county before beginning the work, allowing staff and contractors to monitor the cleanup. Records state that Bowers must remove asbestos from 11 of the motel’s 12 buildings and demolish all remaining structures, foundations, rubble and trash.

Spotlight previously reported that Bowers knew about the presence of asbestos when he purchased the property and failed to remove it, despite the county issuing demolition permits in 2020 and 2021.

The sale follows years of disputes over the deteriorating property.

South Tucson sued Bowers in May, calling the motel a “public nuisance” that endangered neighbors and citing more than two dozen fires at the site since 2020, including one that spread to the adjacent Spanish Trail Suites apartments, damaging 30 units and displacing residents.

The city also pointed to exposed asbestos, crime and repeated fire hazards as justification for the lawsuit.

Court filings show that South Tucson and Bowers jointly requested a 30-day extension on an August hearing after the county’s purchase plan emerged.

The city said it expects to dismiss the case if the sale goes through, with an update to the court due next month.

Bowers has pushed back against the city’s claims, arguing asbestos does not pose a health hazard unless disturbed and saying he has been working with the county and outside groups on a cleanup plan.

Colton Allder is a journalism major at the University of Arizona and Tucson Spotlight intern. Contact him at callder1995@arizona.edu.

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