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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.# k9 _' _% v5 D5 } U
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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.
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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.* Z! d/ A3 x2 R% ]0 e
6 S! T; V5 I% M8 f1 [. C8 f9 Q) q3 g5 WStrathearn 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.' T% e" F7 p. H# Q" [
" G$ H5 o& ^5 C; P) H" O"There's many reasons why we lived there for such a long time," said Allan Tchida, who has lived in Strathearn since 1980. 3 G9 y, \" k+ t) U
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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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) S3 ? t9 M" p N, cJohn 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./ |* f# x" H) r1 `7 C: `
(Nearctic Group)
9 J+ T2 I' i0 @3 D6 s/ }& E"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
) l$ w' D, R- T @+ F. {& t3 H7 ]% sThe 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.: {, l$ Y E2 A |9 y% m5 f6 A
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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." n/ X* V( b3 d& C3 Z
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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.
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4 S; ^. O( K5 n w* v* Q" L- R3 R9 nConstruction is expected to start in the summer of 2009, with the full project taking about 10 years to complete, the developer said.2 m: R' j( x/ a
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This is the second major project approved for a mature neighbourhood in Edmonton as many months.5 V9 U6 _4 O4 x+ [2 ~
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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.2 a% g1 {; j) d8 n4 e
: h8 a) v# ?& `+ [) Q$ mIt'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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