OAKLAND -- It's been only a week since the Hillcrest Motel closed for good, but already neighboring residents and business owners say living and working in the Dimond District is markedly better now. 

"I don't have prostitutes walking down the street all hours of the day. I don't have drug-related activities on the street in front of my store," said Sam Asiema, owner of the African Cultural Store on MacArthur Boulevard, about two blocks away from the Hillcrest Motel. 

Asiema lives in the apartments above the store and said he has noticed fewer car break-ins, fewer fights and a quieter Dimond District neighborhood at night after his store closes. 

"It is now heaven on earth," Asiema said with a broad smile. 

Wanda Hill no longer is afraid to walk past the motel to her Lincoln Avenue home, she said while having a snack at Caffe Diem on MacArthur Boulevard. 

"There was always some kind of disturbance going on every morning," she said. "I am just glad it's gone." 

Oakland Police Lt. Eric Breshears said officers also have noticed a quieter neighborhood since Hillcrest Motel residents have left. 

The two-story Hillcrest Motel has been a problem in the Dimond District for nearly 25 years, residents said. Its low rates attracted drug dealers, prostitutes and criminals. Police said it was the likely epicenter of much of the neighborhood's crime. 

Some residents took the motel owners, Yurning, Yufong and Kaiying Chou of Hillsborough, to small claims court three times, and won under the city's public nuisance laws. 

The City of Oakland followed suit, this time under a 3-year-old law that allows it to go after substandard hotels. Hillcrest was the first motel the City Attorney's Office brought before an administrative judge, alleging its owners violated terms of their operating agreement. 

At the May hearing, Oakland police officers stood by city building inspectors and Hillcrest Motel neighbors complaining about unsavory happenings at the motel. 

The hearing officer imposed 17 specific restrictions to improve security at the motel and protect the safety of its guests. Instead of complying with the restrictions, the Hillcrest owners decided to shut down the motel and put it on the market. 

Relocation expenses 

They paid residents of three units who had been living there more than a month relocation expenses before closing the hotel permanently Sept. 8. Other residents, who say they also are entitled to relocation expenses, have indicated they may take the Chous to court. 

The Chous have had discussions with the city's building services department to demolish the motel, said Buidling Services Chief Calvin Wong. Deputy City Attorney Pelayo Llamas said if the demolition is not done in a timely manner, the city will do the job and bill the Chous. 

In the meantime, residents and business owners are musing about what they would like to see take the motel's place. 

Asiema said he'd like to see homes on the site to bring more people into the neighborhood, and hopefully into his store. 

Hill said she'd like to see some senior housing and specialty shops -- clothing and jewelry stores that could bring a little zing to the neighborhood. 

'Good clientele' 

Connie Ganey, manager of the Creature Comfort Veterinary Center across the street from the shuttered Hillcrest, said she'd like to see offices in the space. 

"Something that would bring a little more money and good clientele into the neighborhood would benefit everybody," she said. 

Councilmember Jean Quan (Montclair-Laurel) said she has spoken with the yet undisclosed buyer of the property. The buyer has indicated she would build a mixed-use development at the site, with senior housing and retail. 

"She has promised to work with me to meet with the community and get their input and to talk about her plans," Quan said.