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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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; ^" E% H- h/ U* q. s1 rBy 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.1 P0 D G' u% O2 V8 g6 b [3 K
8 W, [: }( _, i# W }It will replace a two-storey complex of low-cost apartments that have been in the south-Edmonton community for 60 years.: H2 U& S V& D; Y, [
0 A0 S) G. n. z J) tStrathearn resident Allan Tchida has fought the high-rise project for three years.% |$ v) d/ f! J f3 p& Q$ q3 c
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Residents have fought the project for more than three years, complaining the development will forever change the single-family community.7 [# w% k$ R) [) c: R y2 }/ S
% y3 E; ~3 U5 x# B"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.6 D' R5 a+ L) \& |! Y4 p4 G7 R, ]
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John Logan, with the neighbouring Bonnie Doon Community League, was also dismayed by the city council vote.; g0 K& [; Q' r% N0 P
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The developer's vision of the Strathearn project.; S, O) I- y* ]8 s5 G$ @$ q
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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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+ h: o( [8 ]) f) UNew life to area: developer
; J; b$ X( C" v- r( ?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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"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.4 C/ ~ A. c F6 ~9 N* U8 d9 C& v
, R# Y" }' s# }' a- K- b- G1 s( cEdmonton 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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. Y$ `3 Q, [* ]( K"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.- c& Y1 {0 g2 l7 |9 w; R% r$ n
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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.
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This is the second major project approved for a mature neighbourhood in Edmonton as many months.! }& c- ^9 Z% T0 F. D/ a u) g+ 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.+ K, E3 x; c9 ~
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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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