 鲜花( 17)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
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.
5 b1 E8 \, s3 e9 T' Q1 p$ K# c# O! D, H! ^8 \
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.; P- j' b. X$ i; @; ]) C# N
* }' w. f. j' |
It will replace a two-storey complex of low-cost apartments that have been in the south-Edmonton community for 60 years.! O0 x( i( [. }8 O$ r
' z* B( T' z+ s7 l
Strathearn resident Allan Tchida has fought the high-rise project for three years.& m& V$ h7 |$ H$ M' l1 R
(CBC) * {2 n$ E4 _$ V C+ y
Residents have fought the project for more than three years, complaining the development will forever change the single-family community.7 q" C/ P4 }7 J* b8 E" N
" ?6 m! A4 }+ l"There's many reasons why we lived there for such a long time," said Allan Tchida, who has lived in Strathearn since 1980. # v( N: v7 H! W' x0 V" z! c
" Q ]0 g# Y2 |1 B5 z% A
4 |8 a! J# R( Z, J"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.9 [" m1 N* j' b5 W, ^& |: O8 x
E7 w1 C; H2 J- q3 i4 r5 AJohn Logan, with the neighbouring Bonnie Doon Community League, was also dismayed by the city council vote.. z) ?$ _" N7 Z
" ], R- j+ ~; ~8 H" B( Y% ?1 {
The developer's vision of the Strathearn project.7 q, B# i/ u) w1 t
(Nearctic Group) 9 G& P8 `" C# G( |3 A, K0 |
"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.9 \; m& B+ q% j: Y% O5 X
. Y4 {! R& D1 x5 W$ a! O3 P
New life to area: developer. C1 Y# r8 b0 ~" P
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.* n, j; b* B1 g' @
# m3 p8 b0 N- j; M' X2 z9 f% \"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.8 N& g5 a9 Q# H: e3 l
( Q) J7 K* E# D! |1 zEdmonton 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.$ p" O$ ?+ |5 I2 }+ m
' I% I, s1 P4 P9 u/ p, ^& o3 j9 _
"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.- I6 B" J! j3 Y$ @
4 A( \! }% i) F- C! |
Construction is expected to start in the summer of 2009, with the full project taking about 10 years to complete, the developer said.9 @$ ]8 E3 Z" w+ ]; I: Q# D2 I8 {6 d
2 D m& e* P$ u5 O; i
This is the second major project approved for a mature neighbourhood in Edmonton as many months.
' [3 \: a+ S7 T
8 [4 d0 T/ S4 ^3 eIn 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.5 g" H- l- H2 N& U3 @; n3 P, y
5 G3 S) {& d( K- ?7 X8 gIt's part of a push by the city to slow urban sprawl by encouraging more development in older areas of the city. |
|