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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.+ B1 q6 j( \; Y- J/ I2 i7 S7 a& A
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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.$ O6 k: V; e6 X9 `! V% S
* Q% Q* P- l; B9 F0 B5 r9 L& OIt will replace a two-storey complex of low-cost apartments that have been in the south-Edmonton community for 60 years.7 B1 @; X- R% b. S( s, s
* N- W: I$ Y7 w" y5 Y- j; w: XStrathearn resident Allan Tchida has fought the high-rise project for three years., d0 |4 O5 ~& b3 c \2 V2 {' R9 ?
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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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"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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! _$ B0 T6 g% K3 }* b"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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: \8 j5 x5 s9 H( D6 rJohn Logan, with the neighbouring Bonnie Doon Community League, was also dismayed by the city council vote.
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The developer's vision of the Strathearn project.# B4 U- f* j' ^8 q& Q' g( o, [# [
(Nearctic Group)
5 }: y4 w0 C" `% F; U"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.7 ]6 ^' t8 [2 ` D* ]
6 ?) q+ }+ i2 `2 R& `* X' K) d! CNew life to area: developer
) ^+ {. W% p4 Y2 zThe 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.9 ]* h2 B5 [/ @$ `4 K
% S; Z7 ^9 a9 x- o"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.- I* K! ~" c6 G- \9 s; H
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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.
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" U5 a6 z$ N) T$ n8 v! g. d"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.
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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.7 M- P$ L. U1 {
7 A) Z/ `# O" }- i+ G$ q: p0 tThis is the second major project approved for a mature neighbourhood in Edmonton as many months.7 X- i9 v5 @0 S" j
4 o$ c2 e0 B9 l( K+ e/ m8 I, q# r! SIn 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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7 r5 p; L: b% MIt'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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