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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.
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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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" D2 N, R% |: G l; f8 z: l/ }It will replace a two-storey complex of low-cost apartments that have been in the south-Edmonton community for 60 years.
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Strathearn resident Allan Tchida has fought the high-rise project for three years.4 u' y& G! h; q8 P6 S( T( H6 E& z
(CBC)
+ k) Z/ Q, Y& P e4 }' M" t( Z+ SResidents 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.
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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.% T. r! x' K' c6 R# k
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John Logan, with the neighbouring Bonnie Doon Community League, was also dismayed by the city council vote.8 q, q& {% z" \9 t9 h; Z
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The developer's vision of the Strathearn project.: f# p- l1 K, y8 J0 i' M2 `
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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.6 J" z: K9 u- C* i3 e
- B3 z3 m, N* }' PNew life to area: developer
8 z5 `/ q8 S+ CThe 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.
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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.3 ]5 K) y' q( \0 t. W+ d
6 D# K5 V, s7 k" CConstruction 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.
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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.
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6 Z/ k. ^/ \% j* j4 pIt'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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