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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.
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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.$ Z" g- q+ `6 y- `5 y6 v
7 I9 _8 G$ J, I# PIt 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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% R, @; g+ l4 i; U+ N& g1 hStrathearn resident Allan Tchida has fought the high-rise project for three years., t/ W q. P! L2 d6 Q3 R6 m# p
(CBC)
3 z8 W, W* N/ v* V* M9 h7 DResidents have fought the project for more than three years, complaining the development will forever change the single-family community.
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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. * v9 h% t# G$ h7 ^5 u
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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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, m) d( N# z6 l2 g4 y. d% DJohn Logan, with the neighbouring Bonnie Doon Community League, was also dismayed by the city council vote.
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2 A0 h8 r' v: Y! H i: XThe developer's vision of the Strathearn project.
$ O6 s5 d' W$ k" S% q( Y(Nearctic Group) $ V$ R& r6 r3 Q: V" B
"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.$ C) ?$ t3 U# W
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New life to area: developer3 ?, l, W0 M( a) Y
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.
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) ]# w/ \' N( p: p: ~/ \"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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2 v/ h) x! t* W0 g$ D. @* g"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., }: i3 r& Z& S& w! Z8 N
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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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& C4 E |9 V, d7 D; L. _This is the second major project approved for a mature neighbourhood in Edmonton as many months.
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$ i- R1 _7 U) bIn 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.6 _1 Z, R3 u5 B' M
5 i1 y1 `( k& q8 M. i0 Z/ s/ zIt'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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