City of Regina to spend $3M to fill hole at Capital Pointe site

The City of Regina says it will spend about $3 million to fill the big hole at a key intersection downtown.

Capital Pointeat 1971 Albert St. was supposed to be a 27-storey condo and hotel complex. When the Plains Hotel was demolished in 2011, the developer said it would be finished within two years.

But when worked stopped at the corner of Albertand Victoria Avenue in 2017, it was still an excavation. Critics said it was an eyesore in the heart of downtown.

The city moved to intervene, saying the hole was unsafe.

Officials say the backfilling will start next month and will be finished in October.

Workers will be on the job up to 24 hours a day.

In addition to filling the hole, the contractor will:

• Remove the shoring, facilities and other debris.
• Repair the storm main on Victoria Avenue.
• Repair the roadway and sidewalks.
• Put up a fence.
• Cover the lot with crushed asphalt.

CBS Contracting has been awarded the contract to do the work.

The city says whatever it spends on the backfilling will be added to the tax bill of the property owner.

Mayor Michael Fougere said the city will use the tools at its disposal to recover the money, with seizure of the property one of theoptions.

"No one wants to have gone down this path but the fact that we have to do this will protect the taxpayer's money as much as possible," Fougere said Monday.

The site is owned byWestgate Properties. The property has been put up for sale with an $8.5-million asking price.

Fougere still has hopes that someday, a "showcase"building will go up at the corner of Albert and Victoria.

"I want to see it developed. It's a gateway to downtown. People, I think, really want to see it developed," Fougere added.