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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.+ M& U* i0 Q) R: \4 v" |
9 ^# ]" w4 C( b' p0 eBy 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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It will replace a two-storey complex of low-cost apartments that have been in the south-Edmonton community for 60 years.# I1 l0 b* m; T5 g: K3 t3 L
' G+ i7 u" S; N0 V) b% VStrathearn 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.* F9 Y+ O1 ^* R _( y
8 _7 e) Y2 W: X/ {% g"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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8 l, O" [! W* U. g, q7 Q( o0 u, 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.
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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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! y2 D9 h! o6 Q! e2 [The developer's vision of the Strathearn project., S+ |6 b) ~/ v5 l
(Nearctic Group)
4 H0 M; r5 _3 i% s, R"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.
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New life to area: developer, r2 G/ \$ Y8 b5 K6 s% Z
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.3 z! V( D! N$ P1 e7 e8 F6 i
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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.7 P5 I: R4 N+ ^% G. j) e" b/ C
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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.& ?& h, l2 z5 [- W, I: \% N
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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 A$ [1 o9 X) v: f
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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.
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1 l; X; `$ B0 Q) s$ P5 GThis is the second major project approved for a mature neighbourhood in Edmonton as many months.
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: ^: h3 f' i4 b3 P) ]4 cIn 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.$ |8 Y8 V) ~( Q# ` K
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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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