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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., U7 x. z: B; F$ k1 ~. a* x
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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., T4 {2 _' ^ p$ _' g8 E
, l& }1 w8 y J$ C0 h. m! V( R9 tStrathearn resident Allan Tchida has fought the high-rise project for three years.* p8 M9 F/ j: j: R* Q7 ~3 C
(CBC)
& F1 J/ U! |( f7 A8 F# C- p7 ]1 @Residents have fought the project for more than three years, complaining the development will forever change the single-family community.
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% j4 d* Y2 `: B u' Y K"There's many reasons why we lived there for such a long time," said Allan Tchida, who has lived in Strathearn since 1980.
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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.: x5 a/ k" Z. E2 X
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The developer's vision of the Strathearn project.* s- @$ ?6 K2 ]+ R3 M
(Nearctic Group) & V- p7 j. u- K; F5 t h5 m
"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.7 @4 ~0 ]8 {3 P9 v9 ?4 e
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New life to area: developer
" y' R; \" `1 J& v3 C9 H1 GThe 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 x8 x2 j7 {0 W& e9 Q
1 G; \4 ]$ p$ m5 ]% j U"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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"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.8 _& M0 H% S3 S$ R7 m
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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.
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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., G t( E9 W) S, t9 D* ]
1 o+ j( P* U4 P: H( cIt'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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