[Migs]

http://www.newstalk980.com/story/20090814/20930

Downtown Regina Hotel/Condo Could Be Built By End of 2011
Owners Plan to Close Plains at End of This Year


> Change Coming To Regina's Skyline
Posted August 14, 2009 - 3:16pm
It's a project being described as a "dream come true" for the man who owns the Plains Hotel.

"His goal is having a major brand hotel," says Joon Kim of Westgate Developments, whose father owns the Plains property at Albert Street and Victoria Avenue. Westgate Plaza, slated to replace the Plains, will feature an eight story hotel that Kim says will likely be a Hilton Garden Inn, as well as a 19-story condo tower.

The city says the project could go before the planning commission next month. Kim says condo units could be available for sale by the end of September. He thinks there's a market for what they're proposing.

"Pretty much all the condominiums in the downtown area in Regina are conversions of older buildings," he says, as opposed to the higher-end suites being proposed. "I feel really confident that we're going to be successful."

Kim says the plan is for the Plains to close at the end of the year with a New Year's bash. After that, he hopes demolition can begin in March, with a completion date for the project of the end of 2011.