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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.( D% v3 V3 i$ x( s. f+ o: G
8 N* A0 S j' X! O; FBy 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.; o6 o# \! _# k; y5 R3 k8 A
' p5 ]8 R$ o/ @# j. Q6 n- M( J% K! sIt 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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6 j' j: |& V8 |! GStrathearn resident Allan Tchida has fought the high-rise project for three years.
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- N9 I% I( L# B: K2 N. ZResidents have fought the project for more than three years, complaining the development will forever change the single-family community.
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3 g9 L& E9 o$ x# |"There's many reasons why we lived there for such a long time," said Allan Tchida, who has lived in Strathearn since 1980. 2 j% F2 d3 |' {5 {" E3 l
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( y" o0 T1 N4 Y$ ]5 b- c0 s# M$ ?& J' ?"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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John Logan, with the neighbouring Bonnie Doon Community League, was also dismayed by the city council vote.& O; q4 V' f3 ~
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The developer's vision of the Strathearn project.
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) M0 N1 i+ }" b2 ^& x( j6 q"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.2 b+ K& N7 T- i" w3 x
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New life to area: developer' Y8 G0 S3 q9 a* W4 Q5 a* n- z
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.
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2 j0 g6 u3 w l1 f/ v. i7 ^"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.$ C' m. ?( B: s- y6 m8 y
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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.; s* T o- s7 K
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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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This is the second major project approved for a mature neighbourhood in Edmonton as many months.- D: \$ f; I- q: G# O
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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.
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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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