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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.2 ]# S3 B( n# f4 B n1 e7 y! ?
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By 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.
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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.0 Z0 [' t/ Q- N/ }. |, R' u
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Strathearn resident Allan Tchida has fought the high-rise project for three years.$ l: g9 l. e# A% l
(CBC)
" S( ?( B. C& M: W# OResidents have fought the project for more than three years, complaining the development will forever change the single-family community.
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"There's many reasons why we lived there for such a long time," said Allan Tchida, who has lived in Strathearn since 1980. 5 d( u4 \6 @) T' U/ ~% d
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% L0 V6 ]: \. q ?( A' v9 e"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.
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; y) O4 ~, j+ ]# k1 k9 jThe developer's vision of the Strathearn project.. ~" \( D% D6 w& V3 f) \
(Nearctic Group)
8 {8 J4 r4 b1 P" m3 L+ F"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. l: B8 I, o2 L7 h. S/ x) B9 S2 M3 ?
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New life to area: developer$ j1 W W) L: b0 p
The 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.6 z W. w, F1 } M5 Q. a
# o k, F1 R% L" f"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.: @' I8 \9 z' e7 l! D$ T
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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.; B' C- `4 \3 o: w# Y' B
7 Z0 _9 O/ h" d0 ]9 @$ G9 E0 S"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." {6 K& y! d1 y' e4 G3 T
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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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" P: m1 b, N" O. uThis is the second major project approved for a mature neighbourhood in Edmonton as many months.
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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.4 `5 k, b: X$ c# ^' S& Y4 N
6 D; g0 Y) w0 L2 ^8 O" |" gIt'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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