 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., [7 o" { S: r F# d: d
" Y: ?7 _3 F+ p+ p' {2 Z9 IBy 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.
( {+ a5 s- e8 ]; s# C+ q5 L
2 m' [5 T7 ^* NIt will replace a two-storey complex of low-cost apartments that have been in the south-Edmonton community for 60 years.
" S$ T+ L3 w$ A4 d s, B1 l7 i9 s \- W" K+ c2 @
Strathearn resident Allan Tchida has fought the high-rise project for three years." h; O/ N1 `; v; z# z" G$ B- o) t
(CBC) ( q G& e7 v/ L6 x
Residents have fought the project for more than three years, complaining the development will forever change the single-family community.
0 I; l h) t4 g2 j- q3 g! n- j. L8 H& X" k5 v4 A) M% s" Q$ u
"There's many reasons why we lived there for such a long time," said Allan Tchida, who has lived in Strathearn since 1980.
1 I* M1 ^# h# k# e! r+ S) Q+ S( f Q3 f- p" n* O) a& a4 x
' y2 F$ P8 x# }, K8 \
"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.
1 j- Y0 c4 I3 U, \6 `5 J2 d, }
. K; j" u" E# BJohn Logan, with the neighbouring Bonnie Doon Community League, was also dismayed by the city council vote.
) O7 ~9 Q& t2 Y! ^) ~
4 ]; N& A5 R% z7 h9 o8 cThe developer's vision of the Strathearn project.
5 H: R6 D E @7 i* g8 z(Nearctic Group) : j+ y) q- h4 B+ W+ }2 I
"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.
& H# t! k/ I$ m* ?4 I- u8 E# Y: _. r, [7 l' k6 W
New life to area: developer( I, k; C; y1 Q. `
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.$ L$ @( c# p5 G( n8 E
' m, L$ [0 L: Z- m' V) d"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.
0 ]9 c! I9 F9 `, g/ Y, ?( V- g+ W4 I$ X/ X1 [
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.. s" `: z3 A6 u3 C* Z& L* f
; Z! ?# T2 I8 v% } p, F
"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.
) d. W4 V# f& Q- S; d
) @. @+ J6 ~2 X+ SConstruction is expected to start in the summer of 2009, with the full project taking about 10 years to complete, the developer said.9 V: k+ ^" ~) U r3 Z+ e6 z
0 X. c% J( }( M6 a; g
This is the second major project approved for a mature neighbourhood in Edmonton as many months.
9 r2 d9 | B4 S$ R/ P
& q+ N; I+ y6 z Q; `5 r$ pIn 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.; f+ x0 d( E' J4 o0 X y* o
5 }( q2 R/ m# k1 I: c4 ^It's part of a push by the city to slow urban sprawl by encouraging more development in older areas of the city. |
|