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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.& s+ F: O6 k. H- b: ]" D
" i0 r1 l6 k5 F) R; mBy 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.% J/ O: T }1 F7 }) y F
& I% I k+ `5 @& a: ?6 w9 \# V5 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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$ c0 i) @4 E; b6 wStrathearn resident Allan Tchida has fought the high-rise project for three years./ o$ U) F- Y4 {$ Q- f6 C: e
(CBC)
/ @1 n* S W, P, M7 F) ~# n0 gResidents have fought the project for more than three years, complaining the development will forever change the single-family community. Z9 q e0 q. ?; D
- h- |3 M; B& Z, i( ]- G! d5 c"There's many reasons why we lived there for such a long time," said Allan Tchida, who has lived in Strathearn since 1980. , J$ i" _% o* i- I$ b
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$ D- G7 _, |5 v2 R"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.; e" \* }' w2 n; ^! T6 P
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John Logan, with the neighbouring Bonnie Doon Community League, was also dismayed by the city council vote.
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- I4 ]3 z' v% x2 |& U+ l& E; }The developer's vision of the Strathearn project.
; G2 z" j+ c1 h) z(Nearctic Group)
! {/ k$ r) `" O7 ` z0 C6 d"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.9 P! G2 Y2 ]! e, p- U
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New life to area: developer4 R- D& k0 O8 c2 j; k
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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; J" x5 e# y7 r1 a; L! Z"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.% ]0 S! {, A& L: }, J! k8 z, D x% M2 i
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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.8 J. J3 L5 {6 x$ e* d& z
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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.
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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.% U: }4 X1 u& W; Z4 s/ d
. G( G* w0 E7 \This 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.) [6 p: H$ d: M7 U+ ] U7 z1 d8 s
6 P2 s1 s0 \5 T9 DIt'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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发表于 2008-2-29 13:48
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