 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.
. g; L0 L/ K" T" d3 X4 k) z+ V1 ?* S9 e& r( c0 W
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.! {) t2 Z$ q# ]
) R9 S: d( o8 E6 YIt will replace a two-storey complex of low-cost apartments that have been in the south-Edmonton community for 60 years.
4 O) |7 u0 W" b/ D* a0 [7 F7 |3 y# S6 o2 x& M
Strathearn resident Allan Tchida has fought the high-rise project for three years.' s& [+ @: A. l3 t6 |
(CBC)
# U% o, j" U) M% p# ^% rResidents have fought the project for more than three years, complaining the development will forever change the single-family community.
9 e5 j a+ {( T8 _+ x
6 T: @$ {7 ]- c9 F+ Y' W"There's many reasons why we lived there for such a long time," said Allan Tchida, who has lived in Strathearn since 1980.
; }& p9 W4 G' e! D: e5 q! h) s' d! w
- D6 U; b- l$ u3 c. w' z5 [* W* F"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.
3 s5 }6 `/ G2 [6 x" t- k" X8 \
: H$ e0 t: r) s. z( Z! T1 [* Q/ L+ DJohn Logan, with the neighbouring Bonnie Doon Community League, was also dismayed by the city council vote.' H$ n, \# n/ V2 G" U+ k! j( w
& W" U4 W0 L- a3 V3 N
The developer's vision of the Strathearn project.
1 w7 S/ m* F1 v(Nearctic Group) . i8 _8 U( A. w
"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.
( ` T. ?. g6 Y8 q4 a$ g: o8 a+ E6 d: q! c3 W& M
New life to area: developer
/ t9 V1 g( q( m. [# h! Z- O9 FThe 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.
2 C. ]& Q% ]' C, w8 `% R. v) x% `7 X" i. E- G
"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.
+ X0 y2 p: ~1 G& ^, ]4 Y$ z8 S, Z1 r7 I
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.
0 a6 Z$ v* _+ [1 v" y, P1 M9 e2 a9 d. N6 R( h6 T& T f0 P
"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.
/ W0 }3 ~9 F, Q0 t/ r# d
( E4 u! y' c2 I+ k" i" @% xConstruction is expected to start in the summer of 2009, with the full project taking about 10 years to complete, the developer said.! Y! w) A4 W6 V
( ~% J. Z4 u4 Q6 @7 V$ z: K1 ] `
This is the second major project approved for a mature neighbourhood in Edmonton as many months.
3 x9 u: s7 G3 e7 e ~! u3 P6 x. _% |8 h- V0 _6 ]
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.# _0 J7 w& x: m+ M- N6 E+ n- Y9 t" d0 w
7 C2 { I5 x1 k; T% oIt's part of a push by the city to slow urban sprawl by encouraging more development in older areas of the city. |
|