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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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5 X( E9 V. H: G, I* m4 I. Y& QBy 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.$ c+ Y2 f; u- N! M1 H6 ]* u
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Strathearn resident Allan Tchida has fought the high-rise project for three years.
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( \ z+ E t3 L# b, R7 CResidents have fought the project for more than three years, complaining the development will forever change the single-family community.5 p1 z7 v7 r& G6 P) B
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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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6 u8 X8 P* J9 s# A' R! Y% L) `3 [John Logan, with the neighbouring Bonnie Doon Community League, was also dismayed by the city council vote., v- b5 P1 ?3 J$ a' l4 F+ [5 K. E
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The developer's vision of the Strathearn project.8 [- m2 y; h8 o" R3 D; d: w
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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.2 [ t% ^0 s6 U: n# l) x3 s' X
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New life to area: developer% s/ F& x9 n; X# V0 x) R, [ C( T
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." b P, g' j% l( Y) r
3 j/ ]; C3 R+ Y+ N"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.: P$ `" e0 N& Q$ f
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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.& i& s( ~* `5 |8 c. k( n2 f
( O7 R( w, ^0 |# _4 s3 w"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., X$ y; }! e! y9 V
# e# H, h. F' A5 k1 b5 nThis is the second major project approved for a mature neighbourhood in Edmonton as many months." ^$ [ Y# i" C( S. b5 a6 V- v
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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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5 w( b# X& d8 R$ oIt'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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