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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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4 v! E: d5 \+ u& gBy 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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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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' Z+ c, u) |4 K T+ n7 TStrathearn 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.
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( ]' Q1 ~1 k' ?"There's many reasons why we lived there for such a long time," said Allan Tchida, who has lived in Strathearn since 1980. 2 c6 j6 a$ ^& g4 O4 [+ \
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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.7 \! O) O* l( p$ P+ J! V
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John Logan, with the neighbouring Bonnie Doon Community League, was also dismayed by the city council vote.9 S, { N4 B5 R. _
& }( e0 T6 w" v7 rThe developer's vision of the Strathearn project.3 w: d+ n# n! J4 G8 C1 Q! M
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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.1 J% ?6 a7 j: R' e7 ]
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New life to area: developer
$ q, ~" a& e! v! ], | iThe 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.9 }4 G3 ^, U# q/ n2 _
) u1 j- i/ R5 P. I9 M4 ~5 d9 ~"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.! s0 R6 w7 c: X9 O. _3 D: G: ?
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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.' t$ m( n& f, a* i
/ V* ~( O1 O' b% I8 p- t"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.% t, [- T Q$ |( {2 ?
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This is the second major project approved for a mature neighbourhood in Edmonton as many months.% u# f+ r6 y% @, T: q$ {( W
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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.! |: `# J9 P" @
$ I) b; Q4 F8 Q" g& B, P- q2 ~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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