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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.; {5 K9 Y% l# y
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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.2 a6 g( F2 Y7 n& x
; x( h* S, d: JIt 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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Strathearn resident Allan Tchida has fought the high-rise project for three years.) g& q9 J. s- u8 T3 F
(CBC)
! X+ l! ^5 E8 }' bResidents have fought the project for more than three years, complaining the development will forever change the single-family community.
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; p k- ]# ]: `: e) X O8 C8 ^"There's many reasons why we lived there for such a long time," said Allan Tchida, who has lived in Strathearn since 1980. ) L m2 u8 s7 f' B8 ~3 y
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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.
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John Logan, with the neighbouring Bonnie Doon Community League, was also dismayed by the city council vote. ]& M4 a' ?* H+ A9 ^
9 U# O0 r% }& x0 w6 n2 nThe developer's vision of the Strathearn project. X' I9 W3 m+ ]( g; x4 t6 U: h
(Nearctic Group) / x7 \& E% I1 V% n9 N
"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.' j0 t6 p3 K5 y
3 [! Z( f* n- S) ZNew life to area: developer
+ Z. `( I: {8 r5 iThe 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.+ @/ c1 I$ O! P& r$ d7 }- I/ Q) P
, D% |" f; z# J: e( r8 m+ _8 X"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.( _7 `1 n% n, i$ r1 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.* W& d7 _0 k$ m' {% f0 A4 ^9 F8 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." b- C+ A& L0 S$ s' T
5 w9 F' h) c$ {Construction is expected to start in the summer of 2009, with the full project taking about 10 years to complete, the developer said." b$ {* f/ K8 v/ i3 c8 ?
* k9 e' \4 j! U; X, q: QThis is the second major project approved for a mature neighbourhood in Edmonton as many months.
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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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: T" r5 Q5 ~2 b- z4 ]4 cIt'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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