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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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9 O5 Z) w* c ^: @6 x% ^' C* p0 ^; H) sBy 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.5 S4 _- |( ? k" U r
3 d) x- I2 |% p, MIt will replace a two-storey complex of low-cost apartments that have been in the south-Edmonton community for 60 years.0 T+ a, I7 k( @! n- Y
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Strathearn resident Allan Tchida has fought the high-rise project for three years.1 ?4 W& K0 ?- v* c
(CBC)
, Q+ Z1 O% Z6 @0 V9 ?& e# y9 Q5 ~Residents have fought the project for more than three years, complaining the development will forever change the single-family community.: b' V% \: I/ q# l9 T
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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.& `0 V% Y- ?& ?9 G
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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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1 h- m6 n8 ~3 u# q% `The developer's vision of the Strathearn project.& r8 m- J# i- l) }% S# v/ }
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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.
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/ q# D9 h8 v8 x+ g% g4 cNew life to area: developer% u* F5 i2 F; a, G( a% }% ~( j
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.
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8 p! u$ V0 r; {6 }- E D"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.( ?/ @3 y+ C( A+ J' m$ _
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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." U4 \3 G& d7 ^
2 e9 y) j0 J' 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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Construction is expected to start in the summer of 2009, with the full project taking about 10 years to complete, the developer said.+ u) ?, e* x% E; }
7 Z- D$ w- V7 P: C5 w9 _This is the second major project approved for a mature neighbourhood in Edmonton as many months.* R/ v$ G* j5 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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