"I'd like to stay at the Regis," Mick said Monday as he smoked outside the building.

But even long-time renters know the building is in disrepair.

"I don't think they've vacuumed in the six months I've been back," Ungerecht said. "You plug it in and the power goes out."

And the one bathroom per floor has its disadvantages, Mick said.

The RDA, meanwhile, has received three letters of intent from developers, Garrott said. There is no timeline for remaking the buildings and it remains unclear whether the hotels could be saved from demolition.

Whether the buildings are demolished or renovated, tenants will be displaced, Councilman and RDA Chairman Eric Jergensen said. "Either way, we're going to have to move them. We can't keep the status quo."

E-mail: afalk@desnews.com