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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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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.5 F) c' z g" H0 n: q) p
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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.' m _8 C7 e7 L I0 b
! S; B+ r8 h% M& s( y" `8 FStrathearn resident Allan Tchida has fought the high-rise project for three years.- R5 ]3 B# s2 q3 g U) Z/ B
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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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6 w% P$ \: F3 ~4 U0 W2 G; u"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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1 U4 @* K$ P: O& A9 S"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.4 S8 M" W& \8 z4 A* X
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John 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.0 ?2 o X P( f& i
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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.
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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.
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. g. i- c2 Q* n"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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# Q% p, p& _: S6 Y% E- x& LEdmonton 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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% b( G n7 i3 `0 i) F"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.+ Z3 ?" s* y. j8 h: K$ l+ r9 _+ t
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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.$ @: X" s3 ` i d! r' Y/ c ?
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This is the second major project approved for a mature neighbourhood in Edmonton as many months.5 _" x# K4 `# x7 M/ D# r$ n5 `9 F5 P
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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.( c0 t4 I2 o+ s& X' R7 _" L
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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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