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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 d9 N( ?$ D! U3 q
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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." k0 J* V2 M: l9 a: i
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It will replace a two-storey complex of low-cost apartments that have been in the south-Edmonton community for 60 years.% W8 G" `7 I* G+ Q) r5 e& n
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Strathearn resident Allan Tchida has fought the high-rise project for three years.
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Residents have fought the project for more than three years, complaining the development will forever change the single-family community.8 v1 N1 U% c" |4 X3 f% r% g& `
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"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 W1 e5 E7 |7 N& Y# J"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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6 A4 t" F w% p( B v% b7 IJohn Logan, with the neighbouring Bonnie Doon Community League, was also dismayed by the city council vote.1 b7 _) q& T* q( M) z
- `1 Q5 H( B5 r' Y& k) t: w1 [The developer's vision of the Strathearn project.9 m( ]+ [9 |- @; ?
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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.2 R$ f3 ?4 y% c: M
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New life to area: developer
3 ^" `7 x ^' {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.: ?( n3 k7 c h% f S% V
: C4 _4 V3 G$ Y. M"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.* q# y/ ?8 D" R3 H
: S, r3 k: F6 F+ OEdmonton 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.$ W8 v; l" _) Q) e3 z, `
9 y/ J- x* V9 @2 o4 x& f8 ?"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.
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! P" ^" H2 V1 ]& X9 ?6 zConstruction 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.
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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.8 t4 Y. c0 q3 {8 X4 P
( }% w. F* K! G- j* D7 BIt'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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