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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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. B8 H7 P# y$ c; N0 B) \% ~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.
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; E7 X; \9 u7 d/ S5 FIt 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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% X" c ^3 e" }& f: k0 V( hStrathearn resident Allan Tchida has fought the high-rise project for three years.$ e0 Y, R4 v( ?& h, w* g( ^
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Residents have fought the project for more than three years, complaining the development will forever change the single-family community.
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# _, ?) Z: \, N. `7 Q8 ^$ r"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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+ |6 }1 S7 b' j4 {( @"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 G3 R o4 T9 G4 V
J0 A( j) }& } WJohn Logan, with the neighbouring Bonnie Doon Community League, was also dismayed by the city council vote.
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/ C) x6 e( I% L8 i3 [9 r2 bThe developer's vision of the Strathearn project.
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6 s9 ]/ M. B: s3 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.
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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.$ `0 {. B: G/ D8 s6 Z+ M8 h8 P
9 ]2 _& E' i1 h+ R7 X' S"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.! \* s" b% G2 f( P0 Q" _: j
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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.+ V) V" T6 U3 l1 y; y: j' Q
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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.6 w( b' o9 S6 w8 S# F- F& S' e- a
8 G8 r! e3 ~* p7 L R* 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.' l: r& x9 @) a! ~ u: U
. p5 F/ \3 x* Y9 t/ JIt'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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