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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.9 {+ t- \' \- ?3 |
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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.$ Y& V5 n: N& X" s8 n5 {
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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.2 p- E$ S. V1 q3 c# a$ C
3 V& m8 ~, ` @* i9 L( l, _0 ^; YStrathearn resident Allan Tchida has fought the high-rise project for three years.5 j( j* ]3 V+ w
(CBC)
. S# @( }" i& P" O& v/ w- w6 N# JResidents have fought the project for more than three years, complaining the development will forever change the single-family community.
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; K! |5 v- f' I6 J4 L- c. F"There's many reasons why we lived there for such a long time," said Allan Tchida, who has lived in Strathearn since 1980. ' r2 ]7 ]; D6 ?) L+ r" [6 `
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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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! I+ r; m7 _( w& k* ~John Logan, with the neighbouring Bonnie Doon Community League, was also dismayed by the city council vote.
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9 j6 F& B* `: O/ FThe developer's vision of the Strathearn project.# i2 h8 p/ J, R1 M
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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.* u d( ^& }$ W7 \; R# _9 x3 G% x/ S
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New life to area: developer
4 T- P' R: O. H f# \& z! ]: V( qThe 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.5 |, h7 r/ ~; f$ Q
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"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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1 E, i& k, ]# p* M- N"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.( ~3 E2 h& a \5 L3 Z: n/ E
7 O+ N ]7 }/ [This is the second major project approved for a mature neighbourhood in Edmonton as many months.4 ?" W- f/ H5 j7 w( w
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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.7 I+ k j2 h6 Z. I! c6 p! v0 P. p
7 q& B& v8 r1 }* L& ~ {; C) vIt'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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