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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.$ a! x# ]' h2 N
: p" `- Y6 e& @8 |' n: v8 G) v' c) wBy 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.8 ?. m: i, Y4 z+ t2 {4 m9 Y
5 r( t: r2 l7 j ]It will replace a two-storey complex of low-cost apartments that have been in the south-Edmonton community for 60 years.% h* Y E: X( U7 N- l- Y9 \
3 `, K1 v) l* n7 f K; H+ b& e9 uStrathearn resident Allan Tchida has fought the high-rise project for three years.
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2 E4 Z _) \; k+ W4 VResidents have fought the project for more than three years, complaining the development will forever change the single-family community.; d) V% o' x$ G6 r6 w4 y4 x( g
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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. % y& H5 _8 w. B3 B( ?
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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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+ }0 n+ x/ K+ G9 H; xJohn Logan, with the neighbouring Bonnie Doon Community League, was also dismayed by the city council vote., O! C3 a' Q; ]( _
4 V w9 x5 u% Y8 DThe developer's vision of the Strathearn project.6 j3 F: @# p7 d, ^) N, a
(Nearctic Group) & P- k8 K5 q4 Z7 h+ U9 U$ o
"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.9 x# l4 K3 W& D& d3 m5 W$ q
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New life to area: developer
. b" r3 r$ b& DThe 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.& J' r: o: _! k5 J: q- D2 E) q
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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.# C% k& t. o j% b" i+ x
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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.& G0 x$ M O9 p# ~2 i
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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.* A% @ \8 n F2 O+ p
- P! R- n: ?: C% {1 iConstruction is expected to start in the summer of 2009, with the full project taking about 10 years to complete, the developer said.# E" @0 Y: l3 S' r5 O E( @
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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.9 K& D4 L" x# E5 p) ]
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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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