A sod turning ceremony was held Thursday in Souris for a new active adult apartment complex and hotel building being built downtown.

Trevor Remple is the vice-president of sales and marketing for Steel Creek Developers.

“Our apartments are geared towards those active adults who own their own homes or are looking to sell their farms and are looking to get out from under the burden of home ownership and the responsibilities of maintaining a home and a yard but they don't want to take a step down in their standard of life. So these are fairly well-appointed apartments.”

The apartment complex will consist of 18 active adult residences, while the attached hotel will have 29 rooms. The apartment building will include indoor heated parking and a common room.

The apartments will be called The Murray Building, while the hotel will be named the Souris Hotel. The building will be situated on the open lot on 1st Street South, in the former location of the original Murray Autogroup Dealership. Remple said the Murray Autogroup is the largest of the shareholders involved with the project.

Construction is expected to take just over a year.

The cost of the project is expected to be just under $9 million.