The City of Regina has decided the fate of the Burns Hanley Building.

Council voted to demolish the downtown building on the condition that its facade is preserved and maintained for use in future developments.

The decision comes after a months-long debate on the fate of the historical building, which is more than a century old.

A report to council found that repairing the building would cost $4.7 million. That includes structural repairs, shoring up walls, and debris and hazardous material removal.

The future of the building is now in the hands of Harvard Developments, who had applied for a permit back in July 2021 to demolish the building as it had deteriorated over time.

Harvard has said that it plans to take apart the facade brick by brick and store it so it can be used in future development.

At an earlier council meeting, President and CEO of Harvard Developments Rosanne Blaisdell said that the company would plan to begin demolition of the building within 30 days if the motion was approved.

Harvard plans to fill the basement of the demolished building; with it later, it plans to acquire neighbouring properties before developing a high-rise tower.

Editors Note: 620 CKRM and Harvard Developments are both owned by The Hill Companies.