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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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) s. m) j$ J O9 J" i3 ^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.3 A5 o9 c6 |* _- H- z$ g8 S1 N$ ^
% D+ Q s9 s9 \4 W: @: G& DIt 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.* m5 {( J) l( s
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Residents have fought the project for more than three years, complaining the development will forever change the single-family community.( _* ?- j8 j3 X( v$ j) ^( _
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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.
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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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K n( e ?: w0 e# Z2 iJohn Logan, with the neighbouring Bonnie Doon Community League, was also dismayed by the city council vote.* v6 T+ ?/ E- v! y+ k" {
, H& A$ ~: E0 o T4 A$ t- `5 _The developer's vision of the Strathearn project.
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# M/ t: N" t: Y8 V" b) f% y" B"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: developer6 h5 V, D; i7 x! K" n% W, B$ V
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." [4 E- X C. _; P
0 ?+ T1 ^! A( U' l$ y1 c- I% v0 J"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.+ O9 {7 L2 l1 B& t4 L1 ~- q
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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.& h1 y9 j3 Z% _, C4 Q% u
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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.) @$ P" p) B9 v8 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.: c6 p+ G6 p" s' {" `9 Y& j& t
$ p; x; S) q1 E: a% f4 OThis 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.
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/ i8 [4 [- c k vIt'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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