The Platinum is a 17-story, 255-unit condo hotel located at 211 East Flamingo Road in Paradise, Nevada, east of the Las Vegas Strip. The project was approved in 2003, and began construction in 2005, as a joint venture between Diversified Real Estate Concepts, Inc. and Marcus Hotels and Resorts. The project was topped out in December 2005, and was opened in October 2006. In 2009, buyers filed lawsuits against Marcus for various allegations; the last of the lawsuits were settled in March 2013. History Early history The property began in 1974, as the Highlander 6 Inn motel. The motel became a Comfort Inn between 1990 and 1993. By 2001, the motel was operating as an Econo Lodge. Michael Peterson, the president and chief executive officer of Diversified Real Estate Concepts, Inc., purchased the land in 2003. Peterson had developed several restaurants and condominiums in Chicago and Wisconsin, and was also planning the nearby Aqua Blue condominium/hotel/casino in Las Vegas until its cancellation. Design and approval In October 2003, the Clark County Commission approved plans for a 24-story, 210-foot condo hotel with 255 rooms to be built on the property, located at the southeast intersection of East Flamingo Road and Koval Lane. The project had previously been approved by the Clark County Planning Commission. A resident in the nearby Park Towers appealed the Planning Commission's approval because of concerns about parking and increased traffic that would be caused by the new project, as well as its obstruction of views of the nearby Las Vegas Strip; the resident's attorney noted that Park Towers contained less than 90 units on while the new project would include more than 250 units on 1.7 acres. By the time of the commission's approval, the project was already supported by Park Towers' developer, Irwin Molasky, and its homeowner association, after the project was altered to accommodate Park Towers' residents; Diversifed Real Estate reduced the new project's unit count from 334 to 255, and reduced its height from 293 feet to 210 feet, at which point the homeowner association withdrew its objection. The new project was also situated further back on the property to limit potential traffic issues. Sherman Architecture was the project's design consultant, while the project's primary architect was Morris & Brown Architects of Solana Beach, California. At the time of approval, Robert Sherman, the architect for Diversified Real Estate's Las Vegas projects, said that construction