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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.: r* T# X. y3 r
* a9 E) |* S% X2 l# TBy 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.6 ^, `6 O% g, ~, O _& r
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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.
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7 }9 {8 H* H! H# ^Strathearn resident Allan Tchida has fought the high-rise project for three years.
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% F* a. Q0 \# A1 g8 x: bResidents have fought the project for more than three years, complaining the development will forever change the single-family community.; H8 M) b0 [* `" d: X! I
9 Q5 P; C7 ^4 \! K"There's many reasons why we lived there for such a long time," said Allan Tchida, who has lived in Strathearn since 1980. 6 ~9 ?, h8 j2 m8 ~9 l0 {
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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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* a9 f2 T4 L5 Z1 P9 w8 wJohn Logan, with the neighbouring Bonnie Doon Community League, was also dismayed by the city council vote.( m7 F) B7 p9 j; ^3 \
6 ^" ]7 P5 X& Z q0 p( f5 K0 M& CThe developer's vision of the Strathearn project.$ O6 }9 r1 |! a% \, w5 ^
(Nearctic Group)
8 [9 T: ^7 K. z- o/ B4 a"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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: m2 X* n# g( h; {- ]New life to area: developer, r" @4 c$ z" B4 c+ U* ?! ^
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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" b/ ]: g8 }6 K' k. S) s' F6 L"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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"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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Construction is expected to start in the summer of 2009, with the full project taking about 10 years to complete, the developer said.2 }. O Q$ R [: q
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This is the second major project approved for a mature neighbourhood in Edmonton as many months.8 Y. d6 D3 o: x$ B
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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.6 G: p% {( N1 z( S/ b
5 a/ ~6 V y$ d" o6 s, S# `3 AIt'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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