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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.
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1 b) n$ m( a. p: 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.. T4 r3 i; s ?8 J
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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.6 e& c( V/ F# a+ Y, ~' k8 {6 G* [
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Strathearn resident Allan Tchida has fought the high-rise project for three years.2 e ~! A' ~ b& o! l9 z
(CBC)
1 S6 _% l7 U) t8 b# I' H- \1 z ^Residents have fought the project for more than three years, complaining the development will forever change the single-family community.6 z7 q) Y1 M( I! [
) S! w h5 ]: |! G# R"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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6 E1 c0 l) }/ S9 k- d. p" Q6 n"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.4 v+ [% T8 E. K0 g
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John Logan, with the neighbouring Bonnie Doon Community League, was also dismayed by the city council vote.+ t- E# T1 C5 |6 @7 j1 Y. H
1 ]* r: D7 D% |- Q3 k6 u' MThe developer's vision of the Strathearn project.3 A6 b5 O$ }/ M/ p+ @& p- r+ W8 ~
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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.
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New life to area: developer! d! a @0 b" B( {5 Q
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.
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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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Y: c8 v' u/ G; ^% y9 p2 HEdmonton 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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. e! n0 e' E8 V"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.0 M$ [# |4 h! t1 N! L7 `( N+ K, T
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This is the second major project approved for a mature neighbourhood in Edmonton as many months.. \* V$ w8 o* ^. V, @
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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.# b/ ^0 i5 U/ f3 c: G
/ a% z& J! \6 Z/ zIt'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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