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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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, A* E8 \2 t" {6 u/ @6 z" lBy 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.0 Q! |, G: T K' J( V
& l6 Y( v! n" r$ I' d- X: gIt 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.$ q7 `: V. t# L8 T3 u: A ~
(CBC)
3 k; T2 g' }+ O U$ X FResidents have fought the project for more than three years, complaining the development will forever change the single-family community.
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5 N7 X7 c* n$ z: V5 Z"There's many reasons why we lived there for such a long time," said Allan Tchida, who has lived in Strathearn since 1980. 0 C" x9 c1 J$ {8 P- D6 {7 j
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3 V% b; B' g1 f"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.2 C# ?. B, m# c) \: e, ^* z
9 p. X1 B. }7 R5 YJohn Logan, with the neighbouring Bonnie Doon Community League, was also dismayed by the city council vote.9 J: e- b; G. j+ }) `5 L
( H+ J! ]. h" u$ d4 {- _The developer's vision of the Strathearn project.$ ^+ t( c* ^) L, \* e
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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.% T1 W8 b T: |" B) w% S
6 s$ B5 I7 U! [4 M- i: jNew life to area: developer
. W( B) Z5 S/ F" _7 nThe 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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0 H; ^6 Y3 W" L a6 j8 d9 i"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.9 Q% G! w% A7 @; m
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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.! G+ f9 V! d: m3 T$ v& O
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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.- y0 u% i0 a$ ], r1 n
6 ]( M( `" K9 p# _2 hThis is the second major project approved for a mature neighbourhood in Edmonton as many months.
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" W* C$ F; r* U" S5 o+ ?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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1 J0 c9 y( M2 H) D+ i* [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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