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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.; B5 d% x9 O5 c7 f
) ?, c9 Y: D& L) Z8 y% TBy 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) D0 ]" C* w+ C! ^( p& C7 x2 B
, {; [3 Q; X, C( nIt 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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% @: F& q1 H8 x: xStrathearn resident Allan Tchida has fought the high-rise project for three years.
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7 t: S* |. G4 C" S4 v4 n: {( q- xResidents have fought the project for more than three years, complaining the development will forever change the single-family community.( t" w% O3 k2 f: q0 M" z9 \9 D
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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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2 a8 p2 h( B$ h. K- }"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.
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! f6 I* H! g* {) R+ e M1 N+ PJohn Logan, with the neighbouring Bonnie Doon Community League, was also dismayed by the city council vote.
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. A6 i7 |0 Q' z n: O S& m) IThe developer's vision of the Strathearn project.9 t5 F/ N, o1 e1 e( M6 Q' n: a' k; v
(Nearctic Group) 2 b. x/ l( Z6 I) j6 r9 K- B2 C
"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 @# d9 C' L2 g% W
% B N# }8 }' @New life to area: developer# ?: }0 d# j& R: }6 H
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.% C$ ^* t4 X% w* o$ y
$ m% @ e4 ?# i( Y. k"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., z0 f6 ~$ {) W z. ]1 I+ 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.+ `) T8 U) o7 f- S- s0 {
p- Q0 u5 L5 U8 X% n1 f7 ~"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.5 Y% X* h$ K9 D" f. s! |
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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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6 P' O7 C) P& F' W9 @, ?4 R7 eThis is the second major project approved for a mature neighbourhood in Edmonton as many months.
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$ x0 l& z. O) `6 cIn 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./ k4 Q% ]8 F; H' |
& p9 {2 k9 b# |# g' y+ V& e" o. yIt'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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