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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.4 u% ^7 \2 \. i; ~- t: ^9 J% O& c
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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.
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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." E- q9 c% K( m' c2 Q* u
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Strathearn resident Allan Tchida has fought the high-rise project for three years.
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) y6 N7 B$ q* G9 W- @( \Residents have fought the project for more than three years, complaining the development will forever change the single-family community./ X. n$ D% y O' r
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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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0 ?! J! O2 Y1 c2 ?"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.: R7 k+ q# d1 i2 t: V7 C. k: }
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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.$ u$ ~: y- Z: `3 t. E; M- Q& u
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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. I* l I2 p4 b+ |% I0 G! d" m. ~2 T, h
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New life to area: developer
; B7 r6 O7 {9 `* Q. e$ zThe 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.0 g' h+ Q. B0 V
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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.2 c7 N( f" ]+ A! K
: `3 V# p$ N5 w# N* F! DEdmonton 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.; I! p( ?. Q/ S( y& J6 h$ `; U/ F4 Q2 C
. p; a* {) }. `8 K; g0 B"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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1 j a( W8 c! U% ?, U; p; P8 HConstruction 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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4 R; G* D; [# K5 n. @! S: w* {# ~# Z; FIn 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.% x$ c" D# ~ Y& Y
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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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