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Further, the board notes that the city could backfill the site itself if Westgate fails to comply. The city released a statement saying it is prepared to do so if necessary.

Photo by BRANDON HARDER / Regina Leader-Post

Should Westgate Properties not comply within the timeline set by the Board, the City is prepared to move forward with filling the hole.

“We understand public frustration given the prominent location of the site and ask for your patience as the City continues to work within its legal authority,” the city’s statement said.

In its decision, the board noted that Westgate did not even appear or file submissions at the January hearing. It found that there had been no recent activity at the site, which it said “appears to be effectively abandoned.”

The board also noted that there is no longer an engineer of record on the project and the site is not being monitored.

“This is of obvious and serious concern,” the decision reads.

Capital Pointe was first announced in 2009 under the name Westgate Plaza.

The next year it evolved into what was slated to become Regina’s tallest building: A 27-storey hotel and condo tower set for completion in 2012.

The project faced repeated delays and shifting developers. Fortress Real Developments – which now has a major stake in Westgate Properties – took a leading role in the project in 2014. It began excavation in late 2015.

At that point, completion was set for 2018. But Fortress blamed delays on ground conditions and debris from the former Plains Hotel. It later became apparent the company was facing challenges selling units in a glutted housing market, and had racked up a mountain of mortgages and builders liens.

Developers have sunk $14 million into the project.

awhite-crummey@postmedia.com