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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.9 W: Z& Q3 O& a( v
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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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1 s! J& a. k$ m) B- P/ M% x4 u7 s" sIt will replace a two-storey complex of low-cost apartments that have been in the south-Edmonton community for 60 years. A/ f- g2 U: L% E1 x7 `8 E0 ^
* p3 n% }- J+ A4 W6 k2 FStrathearn resident Allan Tchida has fought the high-rise project for three years.
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# t. @( H9 m" K( OResidents have fought the project for more than three years, complaining the development will forever change the single-family community.
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w6 V+ @% D9 c1 d! p4 x- J"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.
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( S' e. `+ N5 f1 \; GJohn Logan, with the neighbouring Bonnie Doon Community League, was also dismayed by the city council vote.
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The developer's vision of the Strathearn project.
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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.9 N6 Z0 q$ k3 g
8 ?) u4 i* m; _! z v E. ZNew life to area: developer% T; @& _" p8 w# R4 Z$ O, k$ ]
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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"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.
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. L# h, f* ^4 V0 h( f! U"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.' j/ e( @9 {$ C: Z7 z. q* j# V/ ~+ f
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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.
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This is the second major project approved for a mature neighbourhood in Edmonton as many months.7 S" X5 |- G: y$ U2 j P
6 [1 U9 e+ v7 M& D* {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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