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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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7 _. K9 R( \, |0 k' l# [/ uBy 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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1 N6 A2 r1 U* {/ T5 KIt will replace a two-storey complex of low-cost apartments that have been in the south-Edmonton community for 60 years.' n# n9 j3 w& K( B2 K
; p* y1 B. v" p7 |) a9 bStrathearn resident Allan Tchida has fought the high-rise project for three years.% A9 T2 L) Q$ F7 V+ L6 m. h
(CBC)
: a9 Q( s0 ^7 Z. e" T4 Z7 IResidents have fought the project for more than three years, complaining the development will forever change the single-family community.
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* j j2 F; q! a; e: ?" T"There's many reasons why we lived there for such a long time," said Allan Tchida, who has lived in Strathearn since 1980. ' G7 N8 x1 i* X$ Y" n0 l ~
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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.
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The developer's vision of the Strathearn project.
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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.# N& x+ }2 a/ Y( M! M0 y% x. B
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New life to area: developer
+ D A* Q7 A$ U+ I. V1 bThe 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 n/ q1 B4 }8 n/ S+ A8 m' p
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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." s: {" I6 J b5 H2 r! m2 a
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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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% m R0 h3 ~2 x6 q e' z/ m"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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& V7 d& F6 P: SConstruction is expected to start in the summer of 2009, with the full project taking about 10 years to complete, the developer said.) n1 P7 ^( F) D, t2 K. V& i; U! g
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This is the second major project approved for a mature neighbourhood in Edmonton as many months.3 X- T9 Y O( ~
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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.
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It'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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