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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.
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3 V i! k' O- ~$ gBy 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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2 A: M# A) D6 ?$ k! ~8 qIt 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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# Y# h' D, H( H/ ~/ f. iStrathearn resident Allan Tchida has fought the high-rise project for three years.* j0 ~ ]9 F% e% S
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Residents have fought the project for more than three years, complaining the development will forever change the single-family community.
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' a- \* p ] D" G' @% K"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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"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.3 I2 b1 h1 ~) ^
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John Logan, with the neighbouring Bonnie Doon Community League, was also dismayed by the city council vote.
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4 ` d w/ Y/ Y1 O8 dThe developer's vision of the Strathearn project.
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$ ]' N/ o0 N) f6 O7 Z+ x2 {. t; {"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.0 |3 `! I: r" h
/ k" x( E; |2 [3 qNew life to area: developer
; c; p" }8 }1 y6 [/ uThe 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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! Z3 U& G6 _ D* Q6 e$ X4 ~' C"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.2 o3 U- z2 v3 f7 f
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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.. O( W$ p, R3 \) Z
. m7 O F. P0 n1 u"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 X# c7 P# S% p5 i* W% I
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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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8 H' A! g2 _/ ?& v5 Q& _) J* fThis is the second major project approved for a mature neighbourhood in Edmonton as many months.4 H [5 R2 h" m9 k
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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.. u; F+ @1 E( o
$ Q- P% }; c/ c eIt'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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