A Steveston resident is appealing to the City of Richmond to save one of the village’s smallest, but much-loved, garden spots from the wrecking ball and developer’s plans.
Anne Lerner is asking city council to consider preserving the property belonging to Kay Sakata, whose immaculately-kept garden on First Avenue near Moncton Street, right in the heart of Steveston, was a focal for passers-by for decades.
Sakata passed away last month, after turning 100 in March, and had lived in the house since moving back to Steveston following the Second World War internment of Japanese-Canadians.
Lerner, who is originally from Winnipeg and has called Steveston home for the past nine years, told the Richmond News the garden was such a treasure, that having it bulldozed would not be the right thing to do.
“It is such a wonderful place. We should keep it,” she said.
One city councillor Lerner emailed about the idea was Carol Day. She passed the query on to the city’s parks and recreation department to see what, if anything, the city could do.
“We have so little heritage left in Richmond that we need to do all we can to save it,” Day said.
“There’s no promises as to what the city can do, but I have to ask the question.”
Day added she was dismayed when the Wolff House on Broadway Street, that was built in 1898, recently fell to re-development.
“Often the first call is for the bulldozer. But that should be the last call,” she said.
Sakata’s home was built in 1946 and features a lush garden that was a stopping point for many people, whether or not they knew her. And Sakata, who was made honorary parade marshal at the 2006 Steveston Salmon Festival, would often gift people with cuttings of her plants.
Day said that, when the time is right, she’d like city staff to explore the matter with the Sakata family.
According to information from BC Assessment, the 6,600-square-foot lot and home is valued at $985,000.
“We haven’t decided what we will do yet, as I was personally hoping my mom would live to be 101,” said Carol-Lyn Sakata, in an email to the News.
“The thought of letting the house and garden go is a hard one and I think we will be thinking about this and talking as a family throughout the summer.”
