 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.
' v# D4 t$ g" L( E' _0 S
7 ~+ ]% p9 b1 O. _" h0 ^" UBy 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% d- z, n- S+ S2 I
" w. u. _8 W6 t# T' L6 n0 q, mIt will replace a two-storey complex of low-cost apartments that have been in the south-Edmonton community for 60 years.
% N* y% o$ _" u- A
) m2 ~( V; s- x+ m wStrathearn resident Allan Tchida has fought the high-rise project for three years.$ P7 {! _8 G8 l; T' _
(CBC)
q2 q. W+ T4 z% Z9 gResidents have fought the project for more than three years, complaining the development will forever change the single-family community.8 g3 s4 J( A+ t$ S; g8 d
8 v- j; c+ r! g"There's many reasons why we lived there for such a long time," said Allan Tchida, who has lived in Strathearn since 1980.
/ |5 C' J2 U3 U3 x* C
8 u F# h* b" B5 a: K; s# `
1 i/ a, h/ J4 T! ~"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.
' z' i! v! f- j$ I& x
2 S! M" O+ \& C+ J9 B8 XJohn Logan, with the neighbouring Bonnie Doon Community League, was also dismayed by the city council vote.5 m! j( i1 H/ d5 [
2 W; j' T1 M1 p4 DThe developer's vision of the Strathearn project.
0 H3 I* P: \7 v! w(Nearctic Group)
- \2 h- X& _: p6 \9 ]. J"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.! P* W0 o. r U6 e: f" h0 S
( g9 q$ P6 p: v+ X4 MNew life to area: developer" e) L$ A m7 A% T& L
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.
; J4 b: i T; _# n% s% _7 e3 J' A0 G! c3 j2 }1 v
"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.! x/ L& G `) o" k" n8 z8 I& x
$ _% `6 k; U9 Z( GEdmonton 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.; T2 A" A, z1 ~! q
( k( g4 R" s+ s& D
"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.
; G7 ^ Y! O$ I3 r3 F
3 {* P/ H4 V; F* u0 c& cConstruction is expected to start in the summer of 2009, with the full project taking about 10 years to complete, the developer said.- I8 A$ D% k0 k/ ^! x m
3 p2 ]- v# N. {4 j
This is the second major project approved for a mature neighbourhood in Edmonton as many months.
" H. G# r' ~ N2 M/ L
! f1 t$ c' p' H! |4 ^' cIn 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.3 j: {3 b: x& H1 ]; t
' G, |* m0 }2 s. A8 X( O2 l
It's part of a push by the city to slow urban sprawl by encouraging more development in older areas of the city. |
|