 鲜花( 17)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
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. x) R% t5 `# m7 F! ^8 s8 f' ?/ {: I
/ q1 j- `) ]) `$ v4 K4 ?
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.
& {# A+ c: ?1 l3 b
5 w) v1 J' \4 xIt will replace a two-storey complex of low-cost apartments that have been in the south-Edmonton community for 60 years.
' L9 B t3 t$ o4 _ |1 h
, b1 m* _& Q; R4 J& @* T, f- H6 _" IStrathearn resident Allan Tchida has fought the high-rise project for three years.* ~. t- e$ L' H
(CBC)
0 x9 j1 ]1 }) w% lResidents have fought the project for more than three years, complaining the development will forever change the single-family community.: P' Q4 {! n3 K( }
7 x; `: W+ ]9 A+ C" f2 L
"There's many reasons why we lived there for such a long time," said Allan Tchida, who has lived in Strathearn since 1980. 1 a5 U+ v8 L& D: J1 Y4 w% I5 B
% I- y% K y" i. |
1 U$ }4 T/ x4 |# G7 g"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.$ X) w5 E! t. G2 o" A
, [" b8 s9 T8 N2 K: A' oJohn Logan, with the neighbouring Bonnie Doon Community League, was also dismayed by the city council vote.2 f Z2 {2 K* K6 d
/ N" h9 w( G2 U8 PThe developer's vision of the Strathearn project.- Q# u( I+ B/ N* r. ^/ [( z
(Nearctic Group) 0 J. C" }. d- B0 t, T; E
"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.5 z9 f* z# ]% q, H
6 g+ Q K" p% @$ f1 l
New life to area: developer
3 m/ I& N+ G' iThe 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.
! ~# }5 W J: h5 t- i, m0 D$ P- W( |
"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.
- W6 v% H$ Z" a) l" y
" ^5 F2 Q3 z* L! S: l' E- bEdmonton 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 w3 ]# u B$ k3 \, Q# ]
# S5 s# [ ]( d4 e2 Z
"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.
) H. U" e! x/ J: N2 I: t. J
& b8 l3 l# W. X# ]Construction is expected to start in the summer of 2009, with the full project taking about 10 years to complete, the developer said.* d) M7 Q- Y" _8 I3 m4 ~$ T
& i+ V; N0 r7 G- C2 u7 n
This is the second major project approved for a mature neighbourhood in Edmonton as many months.0 k T2 m# [; [# I3 j
. P' D0 n( t8 z
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.+ Z8 J `+ n5 A3 V# \: z) r \- l
" v3 b v, M: x4 o6 l
It's part of a push by the city to slow urban sprawl by encouraging more development in older areas of the city. |
|