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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.
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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.
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Strathearn resident Allan Tchida has fought the high-rise project for three years.
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$ _( z% ?. [8 u$ T4 a5 m+ a# Y2 lResidents have fought the project for more than three years, complaining the development will forever change the single-family community.: J8 v0 Z) ~2 w* |8 A# c
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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. 9 m9 s5 H5 c' }/ J- N
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; z# L2 w' a7 n' V7 V* O t"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.; L, S% Z. f' E! p
t! `3 o9 n1 |% C2 Y; t yJohn Logan, with the neighbouring Bonnie Doon Community League, was also dismayed by the city council vote.( R) N/ v1 `2 {0 v- n7 v! M! U' {$ J2 m* a
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The developer's vision of the Strathearn project.
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0 v* P5 Y2 z$ Q2 H/ e3 g3 ~# r"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.
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New life to area: developer
( M0 ]$ L6 P# E1 M9 x5 f9 KThe 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.4 Y4 L2 X0 O, e! e7 b
w& ?4 L4 U( f/ ["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.; W4 t$ s. W$ A W# Y( r) G7 ?
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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.0 y% A4 j! m0 j* A0 Z" 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.4 H: u- w. U5 B+ q
5 K" o* @7 m2 c) rIt'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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