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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." q& v( B' p7 Z; Z
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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.8 k$ @1 o" J; D
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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.4 C9 R* ~* s E+ s8 N
- V) g( r! j' p" |3 vStrathearn resident Allan Tchida has fought the high-rise project for three years.
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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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"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.$ [1 r2 d: V* U/ A5 \
9 U" y( \9 _/ s! l4 IThe developer's vision of the Strathearn project.
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% I' I: t7 F- o& Y8 e+ r# g& p* R"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.
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New life to area: developer
2 D, s+ |" ^" `& }; R2 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.( R! v/ J; D) f: t
& Y1 k) B5 G! `! F( T"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., b# w( f; ]- r, [6 a5 O' \, M9 H0 D
2 J* t( ?; ~2 d8 [0 O. F( @9 V \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.
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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.: \/ M+ Q# n( W! M' O
* u0 d7 w5 b M8 qThis is the second major project approved for a mature neighbourhood in Edmonton as many months.
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+ V3 [- v6 K8 i0 }) sIn 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.
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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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