 鲜花( 17)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
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.: _3 P. q. G& D& K
1 z- t5 x; B3 a: \) Z' F. g
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.
' O) A, S% f! x: D2 @( F* k
6 V" L1 `( y8 TIt will replace a two-storey complex of low-cost apartments that have been in the south-Edmonton community for 60 years.
' W4 b2 r0 Q# @7 t1 G8 |8 w9 W: Q G5 q% p2 F I# d
Strathearn resident Allan Tchida has fought the high-rise project for three years., S5 \7 v- y2 g% X5 k6 _
(CBC) 3 \! Z4 Q* n8 G/ l' D6 D$ i* W
Residents have fought the project for more than three years, complaining the development will forever change the single-family community.
1 p U- _+ t% Z6 B/ F
" O% c J* J1 i5 g0 A1 ]3 T0 a"There's many reasons why we lived there for such a long time," said Allan Tchida, who has lived in Strathearn since 1980.
7 n" o; |5 Y% p, Q* O
& Y; q/ ~/ \( s* W& D5 M# ]8 ~- D7 P: H1 d
"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./ n+ p, }1 G8 N" s. X6 C
0 j1 z* d; G! |John Logan, with the neighbouring Bonnie Doon Community League, was also dismayed by the city council vote.
0 l' P9 }! d8 @' H* u$ v2 ?9 \+ e1 G5 {9 @0 O
The developer's vision of the Strathearn project.# \7 M* Y- F9 I( G
(Nearctic Group) - P3 ?) ^% y* w6 k
"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.
. K" g( D9 g( y) n$ A, ~. H2 z4 I- n4 j" w1 V
New life to area: developer6 u b7 o' c. C/ o$ E I1 O
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.2 e) H, ?1 B! O
2 V+ D+ c- H9 J, w"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., i2 F+ w7 b$ w9 G, ]/ f- }7 u
% E6 `2 _. a2 |/ i' S f! a7 eEdmonton 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. a0 B* L5 |6 l/ ]* C1 W3 \: ~3 ]1 o5 x
; p5 B/ ]2 r: T7 C
"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.2 e+ h/ z9 b* F& ?. n/ A- ]" V
& M; L& C" J# S
Construction is expected to start in the summer of 2009, with the full project taking about 10 years to complete, the developer said., }- B2 _( j# Q% J; Z
1 A2 a, N) w: N, ]# r' j3 r( Z
This is the second major project approved for a mature neighbourhood in Edmonton as many months.
* v/ n4 E) v; W& e% L2 S4 }+ E/ O' T; V/ b& k s0 e8 _6 w
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.. T- @' V7 A) x
5 q* l6 d! J* c
It's part of a push by the city to slow urban sprawl by encouraging more development in older areas of the city. |
|
狗仔卡
发表于 2008-2-29 13:48
提升卡
置顶卡
沉默卡
喧嚣卡
变色卡
显身卡
