Council approves high-rise project for Strathearn

水管工

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.
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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.

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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Strathearn resident Allan Tchida has fought the high-rise project for three years.
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% X! o9 t! I0 [) _1 _Residents have fought the project for more than three years, complaining the development will forever change the single-family community.
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8 z7 ~, l) @9 t" S. Y"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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$ N. _2 [1 s  C- J9 m; e# L4 C"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.

John Logan, with the neighbouring Bonnie Doon Community League, was also dismayed by the city council vote.

+ h5 I+ `; B1 y( X/ i$ u& e2 @The developer's vision of the Strathearn project.
(Nearctic Group)
"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
: h; |, R  R: O% c/ F4 S) z& fThe 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.

"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.

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.

8 N  U& b9 a6 O% z: o"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.

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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5 o* y  u' r- d5 q9 r: MThis is the second major project approved for a mature neighbourhood in Edmonton as many months.

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.

It's part of a push by the city to slow urban sprawl by encouraging more development in older areas of the city.

逛逛

看看这的房子，晕。
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  K1 r3 s: H$ [/ Y3 U7 i* j6 m: \http://www.mls.ca/PropertyDetail ... ;PropertyID=6638783
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" S: u3 X2 B5 c, K- [  j9 Fhttp://www.mls.ca/PropertyDetail ... ;PropertyID=6676728

catty

用不着几年就价格下来啦。