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Edmonton city council gave the go ahead Thursday night to a controversial 1,750-unit housing development in the long-established community of Strathearn, overlooking the River Valley.; `* G0 E4 \8 w
( _) E6 I5 @; i3 K: S4 c+ iBy a vote of 12-1, councillors supported the mix of high-rises towers, ranging from 20 to 24 storeys, combined with townhouses and retail space, to be developed on a nine-hectare site.2 j2 f: ] k0 q: V3 P5 [+ d& C! e. m
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It will replace a two-storey complex of low-cost apartments that have been in the south-Edmonton community for 60 years.1 s/ V7 q+ a$ g+ _
+ A: [1 a( H2 x0 R3 y! bStrathearn resident Allan Tchida has fought the high-rise project for three years.
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* x/ S% R. h$ g9 }; GResidents have fought the project for more than three years, complaining the development will forever change the single-family community.
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8 N2 j3 Y; y/ p0 u0 [. v) B) J. k b"There's many reasons why we lived there for such a long time," said Allan Tchida, who has lived in Strathearn since 1980. & @. E: v9 a. Z! ~, y- V4 S8 L
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"Those reasons are going to be gone once this project reaches its full potential. We'll have to see whether or not we're going to stay," he said.
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John Logan, with the neighbouring Bonnie Doon Community League, was also dismayed by the city council vote.1 v/ _8 }+ _! e& p+ Z
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The developer's vision of the Strathearn project.
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"I am appalled. I think that from the beginning the wishes from the community and of the people most directly affected have been ignored in a way that I've never seen before in the 30 odd years that I've been involved in community affairs," Logan said.% }; g6 G V4 |- |- _( J
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New life to area: developer
! r+ K2 e" o+ ~0 R& p8 pThe developer insists the project will breathe new life into an aging community, turning it into a modern, mixed-use neighbourhood on the edge of the city's downtown.; ]" _# ?" E7 k, h
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"We feel now we can present the city with a leading-edge design development that integrates within the community, and we can hardly wait to get started," said Guy St. Germaine with the Nearctic Group.
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Edmonton Mayor Stephen Mandel was among those who voted in favour of the project. He said the developer's promise to help build 400 units of affordable housing was a major factor for him.
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"We are having a tremendous challenge in meeting the housing needs of people who are moving to this city and if we don't do something about that we will be in trouble," Mandel said.
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Construction is expected to start in the summer of 2009, with the full project taking about 10 years to complete, the developer said.
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This is the second major project approved for a mature neighbourhood in Edmonton as many months.9 q% B, N) O* @: E$ ]) X& H5 n
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In January, council gave the go-ahead for a high-rise development in the west end community of Glenora, which will see four towers as high as 21 storeys built.% P, s* U- b n- U
* G. `- `+ k* p) t7 w6 S% B+ RIt's part of a push by the city to slow urban sprawl by encouraging more development in older areas of the city. |
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