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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.& W, H1 s' z- y% a2 r8 W# N
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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- ^- k3 v9 S5 E5 v1 Q2 C# v8 Q
- ?- ~4 X& g* T9 S, ]- cIt 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.$ k$ w: \. U+ J; ^, ?% l
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Residents have fought the project for more than three years, complaining the development will forever change the single-family community., a* }# q2 G& e3 X$ `
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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. 7 M7 H5 A4 M. v2 w2 b
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0 k1 i5 Y8 p; K1 y! S9 H: I2 g5 Y"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.0 h3 ~' t e8 E1 i3 {
. a2 N( N& ~; P2 K" J! \" N; DJohn Logan, with the neighbouring Bonnie Doon Community League, was also dismayed by the city council vote.
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2 @# `6 v7 R) ?$ mThe 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.9 X) o) b* w5 a! ?$ k2 ~5 T
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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.6 z; y8 B* g( b, e( l
1 x8 x; U; d" W6 A"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. Z% H3 M) ~" ?5 L T
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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.
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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." ]' B* E i- E! w' l4 a: U
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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.0 {9 m3 M$ R6 y* J. i2 `
; D6 n) {$ Y2 c% J" b- kIt'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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