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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.' o$ E" k9 H7 I
/ ~- _3 {5 k, T1 I9 p1 v4 @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.& q6 ]1 n# q( m& u( J
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It 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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! F4 W; G/ k X+ r, [7 B) u! rStrathearn resident Allan Tchida has fought the high-rise project for three years.
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Residents have fought the project for more than three years, complaining the development will forever change the single-family community.+ G& x2 K* e! V" S
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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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"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.4 t9 B" s$ Y4 \
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John Logan, with the neighbouring Bonnie Doon Community League, was also dismayed by the city council vote.. F3 m/ X( v! O! Y' U
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The developer's vision of the Strathearn project.
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"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.$ _) Y& S: m1 Z* }% v
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New life to area: developer& T( h; F7 h3 b1 P- t1 `- ]) |
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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"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. V7 S0 q+ T- ]' @& c) I% U( L9 N+ b
. R& G2 L# {+ gEdmonton 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.% f' z# i: |! p7 B# {+ H* u
6 q g! A2 N8 N' m"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.
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9 ?- H/ H9 w, u* w# A5 FThis is the second major project approved for a mature neighbourhood in Edmonton as many months.* s* F, v$ W1 B" A2 }
# L2 ]. e) i tIn 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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" Q: `7 X% M, A! a3 ?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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