To the editor:
Re: "Vancouver Special - Strathcona," June 24 .
Your recent edition featuring Strathcona's many endearing qualities falls short in one critical way: The area described isn't in Strathcona; it's part of the DEOD (Downtown Eastside Oppenheimer District), which is currently under review within the Downtown Eastside Local Area Plan and shows it clearly as such within the planning document.
The Strathcona Business Improvement Association, to suit its own internal purposes, has arbitrarily declared this area to be part of Strathcona when it clearly has no vital association whatever with that neighbourhood, but has, for many years been populated by residents who regard it as much a part of the Downtown Eastside as Carnegie Centre - indeed, the programming at Oppenheimer Park is supervised and co-ordinated by Carnegie staff.
In 1990, Strathcona was granted its own local area plan process with a study area that the city meticulously held to and which affirmed that the northern boundary of the area was Hastings Street.
While this may sound like a "small potatoes" whiny complaint, identity is a crucial element to any viable community trying to develop a way ahead; more so for the Downtown Eastside, which is currently struggling with development issues.
There are so many fascinating stories about the Strathcona I know you never touched on and I'm sure many long-time residents would be disappointed to see that practically nothing of the neighbourhood they know was featured. A little more research would have yielded a much better result.
Ian MacRae, Vancouver
