Regina can't force company to fill big Capital Pointe hole

The city of Regina can't force the construction company responsible for the Capital Pointe hole at Albert and Victoria to complete the project, according to a city hall memo.

The site is supposed to be home to a27-storey condominium, which would house186 units.The project is to includea 12-storey hotel with 140 suites.

"If the property is properly constructed, tidy and safe, but construction has simply ceased, the City has no authority to force the developer to continue construction to completion," the city wrote in a letter, which will be addressed at Monday's city council meeting.

The site was formerly the home of a hotel which had been demolished in 2011 but for years, the project has been progressing at a slow pace withdelays and revisions to the construction timeline.

Construction which proceeds very slowly or gets abandoned is not uncommon, the city said in the same letter.

"Municipalities do not have powers to compel property owners to adhere to a construction schedule through any means, financial or otherwise."

Those who had invested in the project had anticipated completion by 2013.

The construction permit is up for renewal in March, and if "meaningful construction" has not happened, the city must decide if it should be renewed.