 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.# W/ R0 o6 o& o( u
" f! B1 `5 D, b) t
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.$ z5 h% u1 t6 R, `7 o$ Y
* N6 U$ G. p% h2 P, {It will replace a two-storey complex of low-cost apartments that have been in the south-Edmonton community for 60 years./ _/ X; o( t! r+ e& `" c1 X# P
$ i/ b; b j) v4 o8 HStrathearn resident Allan Tchida has fought the high-rise project for three years.
# |% q0 U. n6 T/ n2 P- S(CBC)
8 l: `$ O8 b& QResidents have fought the project for more than three years, complaining the development will forever change the single-family community.
+ V- {2 l: D! b; i& P# {% r* ^3 E! w3 _4 G' G5 l% f$ N
"There's many reasons why we lived there for such a long time," said Allan Tchida, who has lived in Strathearn since 1980. 9 A) @& w+ u, w0 v& ?* { ?
C9 Z& H, _; M; u8 Z+ R5 F5 x
9 g! \) |# y: o k' m, s0 M/ o
"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.2 B1 r8 R( r+ F2 T
: F- K7 \ A0 }! i, A; ~John Logan, with the neighbouring Bonnie Doon Community League, was also dismayed by the city council vote.& f3 m* P, {* h; s% O# |
$ A+ Q2 p4 U5 d1 G3 T8 AThe developer's vision of the Strathearn project.
* ~0 v7 Q, h8 X(Nearctic Group)
0 B) M$ \, C+ ?, C& `4 I% E"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.
: Q# H7 K$ e, W6 y, |6 ~* ?- ~. O0 g$ F( f+ m5 e! S( f
New life to area: developer
( U; r5 f2 p( l" b& D+ H& z: w, O! rThe 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.
: O. M T+ D7 }. [& r2 C7 _+ a$ m! [+ h% r$ Z. \, i4 a
"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.: G& X( i: j0 }& \/ @* U
- K3 t# A; A1 B$ m) W7 ^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.* f2 m) [5 E* m8 g
& r2 ^+ B3 q% B* |3 L
"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.% T; [1 l* }! U* B# v7 O
& l- W& w6 `: l0 A- s5 b) X7 V- \4 s
Construction is expected to start in the summer of 2009, with the full project taking about 10 years to complete, the developer said., V* V9 Q- X) r1 K
$ C8 s' m0 ~, L1 [# f* ~1 J( }
This is the second major project approved for a mature neighbourhood in Edmonton as many months.
9 o! w" N( x( \9 H: t7 p M
# N: z7 g# c# A2 AIn 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.
3 Q- [2 B# N, i! w& @8 ^
6 _( T. o2 v4 }" h& ?; \/ m; E0 XIt's part of a push by the city to slow urban sprawl by encouraging more development in older areas of the city. |
|