Troubled Glenora Skyline redevelopment approved by city

The Skylineeyesore in west Edmontonis about to disappear.

The derelictconstruction site once known as the Glenora Skyline condo project is finally getting back on track, under new ownership and a new name.

InHouse a branch of Beaverbrook Developments hasthe green light to move ahead with itsredevelopment plans for the abandonedsite.

In a unanimous decision, Monday, city council approved rezoning of the site.

"A sigh of relief," Salima Kheraj, a principal with InHouse, said inan interview Wednesday on Edmonton AM."It's a big milestone for us to be able to turn this project around."

The project, atStony Plain Road and 142nd Street, has undergone a significant redesign.

The 3-acre site is about tobecome home to West Block,three residentialtowers alongside a mix of townhomes and commercial andretail space.

Construction of the first phase of the project, projected to cost over $50 million anddue to begin in October, will turn theexisting concrete structure intoa luxury16-storey tower with floor-to-ceiling windows, large terraces and views of the river valley.

The phase willalso include a three-storey commercial building.

Thebase of each of the buildings will includes retail space centred on anurban square designed with landscaping and seating areas for passersby or patios.

Kheraj says the neighbourhood deserves something iconic after construction was abandoned two years ago.

"The look is very different, but the use is very much the same," said Kheraj.

"You'll see a lot more glassand sleek towers. I think the new design is really something the community will be proud of."

InHouse stepped in to salvage the project after the previous owners ran into money problems and work on the three towers initially planned for the property came to an abrupt stop in January 2014.

The site went into foreclosure and remained untouched for months before InHouse took full possession in the spring of 2015 aftera lengthy court process.

• InHouse Developments taking over stalled Glenora Skyline project

Developers expect to complete the project by the end of 2018.

"It's slated for redevelopment for a long time.I think the community will appreciate that we can finally make that happen, and give this concrete structure its new skin and turn this around."