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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.8 q1 I* t3 i* w3 b4 {/ k
" u2 t$ z$ Y# \, I7 U$ }* BBy 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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( u- C) P5 x( x: q- ZIt 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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6 r& s1 o) W0 ]$ s3 \7 b. TStrathearn resident Allan Tchida has fought the high-rise project for three years.4 P4 n+ ~. R u' { e% [$ M
(CBC)
1 l9 L+ V- s1 g7 y) A0 p6 @( L$ x% y4 k- XResidents have fought the project for more than three years, complaining the development will forever change the single-family community.9 R; P% J8 A! M2 e' X/ W% w
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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.
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John Logan, with the neighbouring Bonnie Doon Community League, was also dismayed by the city council vote. U$ V0 E, U2 m% {0 r$ ?: Y
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The developer's vision of the Strathearn project.
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1 ]/ B' q- m* ]"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.) E7 |% w/ w$ q( J, j# `* i
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New life to area: developer
/ R+ j/ `6 l3 A+ CThe 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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1 f, b; o& t9 G6 e- {5 ], N0 J: f( V- y"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.# R* u3 _/ P. B2 M
2 J% S0 B$ f8 H9 Q5 Z3 l/ J( }3 wEdmonton 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.6 G% W( w4 E+ w: J+ S7 W0 Z; l
( ^. s! ^& _% M0 u9 W3 u"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.( C# |0 ^/ ~/ T6 e
( T' {3 W R, M2 jConstruction 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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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.( F" l- [0 M8 ?. U, 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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