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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.) |5 D; O' L$ Y7 ?$ e( C
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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 }( Q5 }! ~ T
) G4 O( j3 _% Q6 J: YIt will replace a two-storey complex of low-cost apartments that have been in the south-Edmonton community for 60 years.& C$ m% z: q0 I" G: {. c$ k
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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 g: A% _ X! n4 O& l* g
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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. ) E6 W* m5 I3 L1 ]. N* N! R% X
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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.
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- [8 {1 h! V) M9 D/ lThe developer's vision of the Strathearn project.6 l P$ Q/ F/ Q5 q" i: o: X
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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.4 q% |% p" u \) y/ @
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New life to area: developer
1 b) ?1 G% R' i6 rThe 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.7 r5 K5 w1 O3 d' D) L7 K: W4 _7 U9 C
0 F4 H' X+ ~5 \/ o"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.) f2 i& \! u7 S
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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.4 R$ x! m6 Q( ]" m O8 I6 P( S& s
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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.4 N6 l% U4 f/ A) S5 t) n9 L: J
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This is the second major project approved for a mature neighbourhood in Edmonton as many months.& c" }9 y: U+ o6 z! w; j0 C6 I2 m4 T
% @8 @, H: O6 Q8 W e2 l1 L0 ZIn 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.& H4 C! [8 h4 Y4 _# a4 o' ^' k
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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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