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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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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.1 ^5 [, H4 ?& Z& i
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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.
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Strathearn 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.8 m( u* q2 V% ?& R8 @
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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. , C/ K' X3 m5 {! `9 {" N
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; M$ [6 Y4 M' P. V' i"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.6 _: Y* b" L1 I. v; z6 } z0 a
7 L) O2 {, @! I% ]# dJohn Logan, with the neighbouring Bonnie Doon Community League, was also dismayed by the city council vote.5 X# V8 Y. [( h; \2 G, N/ [3 A d7 n
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The developer's vision of the Strathearn project.
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& y$ w* F2 u! U- r. f, A8 _"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.2 k1 {) o. k! r* T0 M
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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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z# `+ x. t* E9 L: _"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 Q. a4 F( A( O) y9 n
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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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: R: O+ S* T4 `/ p2 \"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.* Y: g7 P; D3 M
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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.
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This is the second major project approved for a mature neighbourhood in Edmonton as many months.
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& i& G0 ?) {* Q" H4 [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. l" G4 B/ M3 l% z( l
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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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