 鲜花( 17)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
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.! n: [. Y1 ^" L$ P0 r) M9 L/ e
0 H0 C) A# x& |8 W- fBy 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.+ Z' J1 r5 a x
1 h( J3 K: T2 }; pIt will replace a two-storey complex of low-cost apartments that have been in the south-Edmonton community for 60 years.4 k/ t% T i6 F" `; x0 l
0 t8 n* N" X5 p( q9 Y2 D
Strathearn resident Allan Tchida has fought the high-rise project for three years.+ T% t$ O* H1 _( m
(CBC) : q" q& O' X/ N9 w" W) y1 \
Residents have fought the project for more than three years, complaining the development will forever change the single-family community.2 k1 _" i5 Z- v: e
. W- n) R/ H$ N9 C# R6 Y4 G
"There's many reasons why we lived there for such a long time," said Allan Tchida, who has lived in Strathearn since 1980. 1 d w# t$ M) E
! c% W' k. y$ l) _# s% A
: ?, t H) W, N u. V' ^3 y& \/ T
"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. _, M8 n4 I8 `4 _' M1 n- n
( @: [; b$ W( n' O' C0 AJohn Logan, with the neighbouring Bonnie Doon Community League, was also dismayed by the city council vote.' Y9 ~( e# b% h; }- j- C# E
+ v1 B3 x; |( h! R8 Z% K6 K6 ~The developer's vision of the Strathearn project.
0 I9 Y8 w) @& ^* z5 q+ h" q(Nearctic Group)
7 p$ s0 _) q8 m/ N"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.
, v$ c: n: Z3 |7 T0 p" D
" a: I1 a9 {' c4 O! N. CNew life to area: developer" L/ w( j7 T5 c& m& x# Q
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.
) g8 d! I' [4 B0 M9 v( G! o/ I& H+ F- S$ H/ A6 \, R2 h
"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.
6 {' o% I F4 Y5 j \! ?1 R$ I( F, _! Q! h- w4 z& ]( n, Q
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.6 g U2 E/ p3 m' e. q4 ^1 j
, u3 t7 D( d0 Q6 ^, G$ _7 A"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.
+ g, ~- ~7 ?% m% c2 T* X1 ~5 e) w( Z; `* l
Construction is expected to start in the summer of 2009, with the full project taking about 10 years to complete, the developer said. ^9 D! {- t8 u; i' a0 L5 F
/ S5 v" G- W5 e$ M9 B# l( YThis is the second major project approved for a mature neighbourhood in Edmonton as many months.
! ~& C5 {$ `9 }) P+ u( {- P
& e9 W- X& b, {5 ]$ jIn 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.
- q" y! S8 ~: t/ B4 W! N4 C' q: j' w4 j3 ^* T( n
It's part of a push by the city to slow urban sprawl by encouraging more development in older areas of the city. |
|