A South Sioux City motel that has been closed for more than a year has met the wrecking ball.
The Regency Inn, located at 400 Dakota Avenue, is in the middle of being torn down as the building is being leveled by its owner, Mike Desai.
The hotel has been closed for more than a year and had been a target for graffiti and other vandalism and the decision was made recently to level the building and prepare the property for sale.
“He said he was having issues with people breaking into the building and decided to just take care of it and move on with,” Oscar Gomez, the city’s economic development director, told the Dakota County Star Tuesday afternoon.
The building — which has been used as a training station for local fire and police in recent months — has been a topic of discussion by nearby residents and city officials who would like to see something different at the location, which is just west of the Riverview Surgical Center and near the South Sioux City Marriott Riverfront hotel and convention center.
“We have been talking to him for about 3-4 years about buying the property, but the price has never been where want it to be,” Gomez said. “Without a project, you can’t really buy it with the price he was asking.”
According to the Dakota County Assessors’ Office, the 1.74 acre property has a valuation of $8,328,840. Gomez said it would be an ideal location for another medical hub that would complement the surgical center next door and has a great location with its north side facing the Missouri River just under the bridge.
“Something like a medical hub would be great for that side of town,” Gomez said.
Calls to Desai seeking comment were not returned at press time.
