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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.# \/ A! S( M. R$ a
+ [, [3 A5 ?' c' z l+ R" LBy 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.# A2 `2 E( O. s$ c, E
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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.9 O; `" D& p! r7 C
0 {. \& e- F* y( Z/ nStrathearn resident Allan Tchida has fought the high-rise project for three years.
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0 j$ ]% U: j" x3 } RResidents have fought the project for more than three years, complaining the development will forever change the single-family community.
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8 ~8 u4 O8 u& ^ B! N"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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( b8 ]" k+ \' n- \) N( b/ b"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.1 L" E7 D0 h/ u
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John Logan, with the neighbouring Bonnie Doon Community League, was also dismayed by the city council vote.0 e. R! m& v! ~0 W' D4 S% Q: B
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The developer's vision of the Strathearn project.' R$ W. w, r7 g7 V2 O( W
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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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* R4 A8 L, c* d! [+ KNew life to area: developer# ~- [: n% K% Q/ ^( v
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.6 t% z; G5 M) x# g1 d
' T0 s3 l+ x1 _$ h$ q"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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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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3 x" A7 _0 J) UConstruction 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.7 G' }! `3 d1 v7 v( E
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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.9 J" a2 f5 M- o0 u2 K( u
e/ f6 J: S9 z9 z, QIt'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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