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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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3 h4 I8 `+ w2 M8 ]) c- h& @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.; l# d o* d& T# ?
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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.2 p/ t i* N8 H5 g2 r6 b
( M; y. [& |- \Strathearn resident Allan Tchida has fought the high-rise project for three years.
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/ Y G; N, V. N* ]* U7 V) ]Residents have fought the project for more than three years, complaining the development will forever change the single-family community.
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4 u2 I) s: X' g( I"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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( ^% q' a, P1 Q+ b' z"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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; q) _" E E( z7 m! pJohn 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.
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8 f; p! s- I; W"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.! s6 s3 C/ B/ e* z
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New life to area: developer& `# l8 ]6 m; w. z8 }: ^- ?( l
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.5 n6 G( a l) F0 H% F, f
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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.. x2 B! ]( M7 Y2 R' M
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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.' @0 X) ]9 \3 w; ~8 s; S
( p: k. m3 ~, g1 q& I/ XConstruction is expected to start in the summer of 2009, with the full project taking about 10 years to complete, the developer said., ?7 ]$ s) d5 _. S5 C8 Z0 `4 m4 i
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This is the second major project approved for a mature neighbourhood in Edmonton as many months.6 Q& u" h& [$ U
& B8 b7 Y2 O# R- w8 KIn 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.! i/ j. \9 M: i' E2 t5 f
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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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