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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., Y) ?! z7 f& A, u
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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.* {; F- j: W& u+ a* ^
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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.4 }* G1 b, F. u
0 ~& R% [) Z% m5 y0 n; JStrathearn resident Allan Tchida has fought the high-rise project for three years.. h. x* {$ T5 c5 f( ]9 R3 v
(CBC)
1 l" s8 X3 z+ @9 @, G9 ~2 X! oResidents have fought the project for more than three years, complaining the development will forever change the single-family community.+ v" z% [2 @; ^
I" h8 T' r k9 U"There's many reasons why we lived there for such a long time," said Allan Tchida, who has lived in Strathearn since 1980. {. y% W+ P }2 Q: P
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, ?% W3 L+ v! C6 t. C* { @9 w"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.: ?$ A2 ?1 `% @/ U
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John Logan, with the neighbouring Bonnie Doon Community League, was also dismayed by the city council vote.- Q! {! ~& K! j0 O
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The developer's vision of the Strathearn project.
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- i% d# [7 q" `"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./ K: |" G7 Y8 t+ H, _ q7 Y. d" }
( X, e0 ~& W) n/ v% I$ h+ ANew life to area: developer( k9 c/ d4 ~" N
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.
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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./ \" l+ M' _: J4 k
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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.5 b( H0 R, V4 K# w r9 [0 d1 I
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This is the second major project approved for a mature neighbourhood in Edmonton as many months." _7 C1 f, L. _; ~' @, Q
0 K, P) m. B# {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.. x+ X; y: x% ^4 Y4 S# m. `
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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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