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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.! t4 Y3 i0 l; T
1 U( E0 b5 ^$ d; J2 _& nBy 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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8 Q a6 N+ K2 i; F# @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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! \; [0 n7 Y& _7 [, _; LStrathearn resident Allan Tchida has fought the high-rise project for three years.
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Residents have fought the project for more than three years, complaining the development will forever change the single-family community.: Y ~" v: G( d, s( v t! n
( r1 S2 B: m/ `1 N% @+ \"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.
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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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The developer's vision of the Strathearn project.( w0 u8 O. x) N
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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.3 a' R8 {0 z, x% }$ ]
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New life to area: developer
. P K- V6 y' T6 t% GThe 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.& W; G K9 f- o1 I9 E
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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.. p2 W+ a; [* Y8 j7 Y( i8 f1 Y
6 c1 g6 \6 Q; sEdmonton 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.7 [. C- S9 t6 o" z" A9 t* ^6 C
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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.) q; A& } C' M9 j9 Q! b/ S
3 C$ B" g. v. s0 k3 hThis is the second major project approved for a mature neighbourhood in Edmonton as many months.8 R5 w4 a% m- P
$ I' ~" l2 u" i1 BIn 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.; M& n1 Z3 r; z. B! n* j
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It'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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