 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.% B( b: D% J% y- M6 y
5 p& i7 r# M, p) ^
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.
4 o& `3 a% |9 K4 P
: h9 I( _; J/ O) {! n6 N, P9 ZIt will replace a two-storey complex of low-cost apartments that have been in the south-Edmonton community for 60 years.
6 Y1 @8 T- E. F* n( w3 ]! T2 b3 g9 i" o- h0 f4 h
Strathearn resident Allan Tchida has fought the high-rise project for three years.# e5 ]) W: N* q; ~. I
(CBC) # T5 k, U1 G4 d( ~( b3 Z
Residents have fought the project for more than three years, complaining the development will forever change the single-family community.' V; j% ~8 V2 f( V+ a
3 N& f! M' C7 @2 l: \( z2 v
"There's many reasons why we lived there for such a long time," said Allan Tchida, who has lived in Strathearn since 1980.
1 ?9 D9 W7 {3 E l( f2 |" C6 k
0 l! F: `8 b6 E7 g# ?& U: ?% p
9 W5 _& p2 w$ s. y9 o"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.
0 \- j! h* L7 N) p6 V
5 T! c: f4 V& l0 K- W$ I. f& U3 ZJohn Logan, with the neighbouring Bonnie Doon Community League, was also dismayed by the city council vote.
' ]6 o2 g, o0 \- Z7 l* n( G! F# j+ ~) ? ^/ |0 ]9 [3 |# r$ A/ d
The developer's vision of the Strathearn project.& @+ K- D/ V$ m
(Nearctic Group)
& a4 X, Q9 j ~% S! G, a"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.3 U0 n$ U" Z d& F: _
, J; g; t9 @" |5 s* l
New life to area: developer+ h+ ?; e4 K8 N0 B: Z/ U; z2 t7 A
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.
2 F* M1 W/ h! K# ^9 q* ?- b1 A" f% l: z. R( R- o8 B
"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.9 ^! s3 P8 A& A. s) ~
Q8 W, j* x9 |8 x7 DEdmonton 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.
. o4 v8 D2 {4 b1 U# e% A) P* }: ^0 K R
"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.
3 s, d) w0 F( a% K$ l3 M5 }5 ^" B- ~& E1 H+ ]2 G
Construction is expected to start in the summer of 2009, with the full project taking about 10 years to complete, the developer said.) f3 @8 ]1 a! \+ F1 }" l
5 J0 M4 E9 g, X: |; f# E( n" HThis is the second major project approved for a mature neighbourhood in Edmonton as many months.
0 K. P- Y; v/ j+ G2 x& d) K* b+ }0 k( V5 J" t- x; w8 [+ e
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.
5 I/ b; u. l5 Z" R) I0 {/ y7 ~: T! q; r$ `2 I9 |1 w
It's part of a push by the city to slow urban sprawl by encouraging more development in older areas of the city. |
|
狗仔卡
发表于 2008-2-29 13:48
提升卡
置顶卡
沉默卡
喧嚣卡
变色卡
显身卡
