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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.+ X* S2 C0 |* L0 y% W) Z ]
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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., P+ D1 L% g( U& n- Z0 ]/ {: M
/ ]' G7 w! w3 w& W- n3 aIt 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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4 [+ t% N8 _! J( a' H( `$ G5 x: BStrathearn resident Allan Tchida has fought the high-rise project for three years.
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! w s$ D! p' X4 RResidents have fought the project for more than three years, complaining the development will forever change the single-family community.& F4 ]% V2 V& z
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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. # b6 U" a# U) z+ ?% ]
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"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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John Logan, with the neighbouring Bonnie Doon Community League, was also dismayed by the city council vote.- y/ o! X6 f, P! d
. Q8 R8 i9 {4 P6 A* kThe developer's vision of the Strathearn project.2 i6 c, _* d5 _( B- e
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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.3 a9 H& H1 P7 [$ V# Q; ^
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New life to area: developer
+ L. z, ^. T8 ~+ T: X. zThe 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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0 q9 Z5 E. ?. @"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.' r M4 c m' e6 H. j) p( D
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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.# z6 W. }% X) \. g" E) r' s+ y2 J
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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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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.9 q2 X5 g: u, b! T
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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.
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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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