The City of Victoria has purchased a 12,700 square foot parcel of land that contains a rare Garry oak meadow, and plans to turn it into the city’s newest park.
The meadow, located at the corner of Leighton Road and Bank Street, will be named Agamemnon and Eleni Kasapi Park to honour the family’s preservation of the property.
The City acquired the property for $1 million from its Parks Acquisition Fund and $210,000 from a charitable donation.
The family has donated the proceeds from the sale of the meadow to support two undergraduate scholarships in the Faculty of Science at the University of Victoria.
“It was important to my father who passed away last year that we see the land used in ways that were beneficial to the community, and selling the land to the City ensures it will always be accessible to the community to enjoy,” said Mario Kasapi, in a statement.
“The annual UVic scholarship will also go further and give back to the community for many years to come.”
The new park will be maintained by the city, and features like a wood chip pathway, benches, and signage including information about the Indigenous history of the land will be added.
This acquisition is significant as Garry oak ecosystems are endangered and less than five per cent remain in Canada.
