Star hotels invited Howard County's Department of Fire and Rescue burn down two of the motel's five buildings. As flames whipped out of the motel's blownout windows, drivers gawked and business owners stepped out of their pawn shops, liquor stores and car dealerships to take a closer look.

Howard County Council Chairman Guy Guzzone (D-Southeast County) watched as the roof of one building collapsed. "Finally, from the flames and the ashes comes the revitalization of Route 1," said Guzzone, who has pushed to transform the corridor since coming to office in 1998. "It's exciting. It's hopeful."

For the past four years, Howard County has been studying ways to revive the part of the Route 1 corridor that stretches through the county, connecting Elkridge and Jessup, Savage and North Laurel. Setting the Valencia ablaze was a symbolic step in that direction.