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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.1 r& J" Q8 u/ j8 n. k
1 o/ P- [# I( u. u @: h( `' W& L+ 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.
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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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2 ?0 d \- @$ C: hStrathearn resident Allan Tchida has fought the high-rise project for three years.+ |4 n- G; p; g8 e; ]4 V' ~9 b
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Residents have fought the project for more than three years, complaining the development will forever change the single-family community.
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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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. I. K; V, @' ?"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.+ l' y& q/ g. { s
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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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The developer's vision of the Strathearn project.' V9 [! W/ l: j2 k6 l( k! M$ R, t4 ~
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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.$ l, S6 } w8 h |, i
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New life to area: developer
" c4 T, w z- y; ]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 @5 W% e2 o$ W# s# h
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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.
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/ ^# B7 j. |) m$ b+ IEdmonton 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.
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1 q( X4 q/ Q* Q% C"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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. E& o. z6 }4 F7 ` Q7 ^& i' jThis is the second major project approved for a mature neighbourhood in Edmonton as many months./ J9 N9 a! F2 F' Y- X1 d
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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.5 e1 f; e) F+ x0 E- M
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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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