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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.% o% P2 x' b2 z p
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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." V8 T* [& z! q" Q" b6 n8 P( f
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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.
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2 V$ K8 O% {3 ^Strathearn resident Allan Tchida has fought the high-rise project for three years.
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& n% v' \6 C9 MResidents have fought the project for more than three years, complaining the development will forever change the single-family community.* j. W& R+ v# L9 N9 X; _
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"There's many reasons why we lived there for such a long time," said Allan Tchida, who has lived in Strathearn since 1980. 3 J7 n* g( m# y3 p5 O+ q1 B. 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.; q# e; F" S" s4 L! ~
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John Logan, with the neighbouring Bonnie Doon Community League, was also dismayed by the city council vote.' b7 B4 V( |; _0 _" p! c8 l
$ _3 W7 m1 S( T9 V% WThe developer's vision of the Strathearn project.2 O C q! C# c" I, ^/ z+ n* \
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"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.* p0 V z/ G- P/ U4 e* {6 j
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3 }! b1 `3 V- a$ I; `* I8 TThe 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.
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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.9 }7 j3 K: l8 ^! A. U
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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.* X5 C! U% e" H# j$ d% u
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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.: _: f) O* Q+ H) N2 L2 G0 |
" Z- T" z- | h! j) W, @) FConstruction 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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This is the second major project approved for a mature neighbourhood in Edmonton as many months.# a# v, i9 w( R
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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.4 U. ^! A/ [* V) b& w# {
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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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