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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. G/ A3 l) ?6 K2 O
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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.* B* c& l c# {' Q: R! ?! `/ M* w
' Y8 u$ q, s% _& v7 [It will replace a two-storey complex of low-cost apartments that have been in the south-Edmonton community for 60 years.; u/ J! Y2 d% ^+ X- g$ F/ u
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Strathearn resident Allan Tchida has fought the high-rise project for three years.
4 @% ?& S( U8 K2 i1 m# o( s(CBC)
; {3 j+ w3 b( F3 s: X& Q1 O; lResidents have fought the project for more than three years, complaining the development will forever change the single-family community., f I) p/ a+ f6 P' M: ]
% ]0 ^3 e. f1 M, r! J! t3 E }"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.* G( ]% b6 l+ Q, H W
* G- S+ W" l0 kJohn Logan, with the neighbouring Bonnie Doon Community League, was also dismayed by the city council vote.
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3 k' }/ n6 P, u+ ]( IThe developer's vision of the Strathearn project.' B/ Y6 x2 x* S! h7 J2 U
(Nearctic Group)
9 F) h5 s( K# b: M0 ]3 X1 {"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.# Q2 B7 e! P/ [4 i! k: f
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New life to area: developer
" y% d! s( S- p: X8 eThe 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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9 b& l3 Y ^. A; S"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.% n6 \' |9 u' |
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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.6 B/ @1 a4 G6 V! s
' l3 O4 H; M7 TConstruction 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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0 k/ c- W* j, q7 Q! v4 ?0 I9 s0 Z7 E( r0 xThis is the second major project approved for a mature neighbourhood in Edmonton as many months.7 K* S2 }- n$ l$ k: i( S& @+ s$ v9 f
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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.- w* Q* c) _! m: O
0 F; B; Q' Y- g1 f5 r. XIt'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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