 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.
3 a4 v0 b8 |* C! Y
5 j# K+ T% ~$ Y* C& NBy 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.( U7 P* _! E2 `8 p# X9 s: G
( n7 N1 a3 f2 D
It will replace a two-storey complex of low-cost apartments that have been in the south-Edmonton community for 60 years.
. B f* {& q' Y
/ ]3 h; C8 o3 v: }* c9 mStrathearn resident Allan Tchida has fought the high-rise project for three years.
/ P+ M8 X: C6 w+ D$ i# V(CBC)
* }1 ]9 U* l( H2 X5 Z# Q2 a- GResidents have fought the project for more than three years, complaining the development will forever change the single-family community.$ H- g2 _5 v# Y- M* ]
4 l" W- W _# X X6 E3 Y! Y3 J"There's many reasons why we lived there for such a long time," said Allan Tchida, who has lived in Strathearn since 1980. D: X2 \6 j) q3 D
N/ m, `5 b6 e1 Q7 X! L+ S
. [6 Z! b" t7 k( C4 S# \
"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.
6 \" \2 Q# b8 n5 ?8 u
2 u! n: e* N( u& L2 P; }John Logan, with the neighbouring Bonnie Doon Community League, was also dismayed by the city council vote.
4 U$ j) {6 M/ Z0 b, v5 L% N5 V9 S" s$ B! \0 A
The developer's vision of the Strathearn project.
4 T- w7 y; o7 b4 D& l(Nearctic Group) " q, o- C- V; R4 o
"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.+ F# r9 V- w" B: w0 I* R
; q( T" _% @9 R! I' |New life to area: developer2 L& L4 }2 q3 W( _/ C' v) Q
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.
9 ]. w0 X9 Z: p& B& m: q. {) i0 h! s8 \/ ?$ i0 S5 T- R
"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.* s/ t C, E. k0 `2 h) o$ B* E
% @" j! f' a; u) t0 Z4 b* NEdmonton 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.' s1 I- j# c) a; s6 V0 M/ T
' ?& q! ?7 x* X* _% F( ?
"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.6 h/ Q i, |6 b& H1 z! D, L
( w% @, _8 b9 `$ u* `; NConstruction is expected to start in the summer of 2009, with the full project taking about 10 years to complete, the developer said.8 J- O9 o* h" w# ~! ~2 r
) g3 v. c) P2 X3 w9 KThis is the second major project approved for a mature neighbourhood in Edmonton as many months.7 b9 b. ?! {+ h3 ]+ ^4 ]
0 n7 V/ J* N6 o; M# s" Y% v; {' b% W
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.
" Q" l3 J" a# {& Q& l5 B& t9 u4 r- `8 Z
It's part of a push by the city to slow urban sprawl by encouraging more development in older areas of the city. |
|