What to know about the Sacramento Zoo’s move to Elk Grove
(FOX40.COM) — The Sacramento Zoo, established in 1927, has been located in historic William Land Park since its grand opening, and may now move to the neighboring city of Elk Grove if its city council votes on Wednesday to move forward with a financing plan for the relocation.
Elk Grove and the Sacramento Zoological Society have been in talks for several years about the move, and the city has acquired land on its southern end for the project.
On Wednesday evening the Elk Grove City Council approved plans for the zoo, which will undergo its construction in multiple phases.
The first phase will cost an estimated $300 million with the city council providing $90 million and the remanding funding coming from bond financing, developer fees and community partners including the Zoological Society.
Here’s what to know about the zoo’s possible relocation from Sacramento to Elk Grove.
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Where is the Sacramento Zoo located now?
The current zoo is in a corner of William Land Park, south of downtown Sacramento, and is just over 14 acres in size.
Why is the Sacramento Zoo moving?
The current zoo location does not allow for much expansion and some of the facilities and habitats would require extensive renovations to meet current and future standards to house certain animals.
The zoo has already lost several iconic animals because of this, including a tiger, hippo and bear.
Several years ago, the zoo, the society and Sacramento city officials had been considering other potential sites for a new zoo, but the society said that it had been told that those sites were not “viable options for relocation.”
The Sacramento Zoo Society approached Elk Grove about a potential move to the city in 2021 and talks have continued since then.
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Where will the new zoo be built?
The city of Elk Grove, which broke off from Sacramento and became its own city in 2000, has the option to acquire dozens of acres in the southern end of the city for the new zoo, an area where the city could further develop in the coming decades.
The area is near Kammerer Road and Lotz Parkway, a largely agricultural area west of Highway 99 and Sky River Casino.
The new zoo could cost several hundred million dollars and would be paid for mostly by the city of Elk Grove through bonds and the general fund, private funds, community funding and other sources, according to statements provided to The Sacramento Bee.
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What would the new zoo look like?
Details on the facility and area have yet to be fully finalized, but officials from the zoo and the city shared renderings that show indoor and outdoor dining spaces that would look over some of the animal habitats, recreation areas throughout the new zoo, and more open areas for the animals.
With approval from the city council, plans for the zoo and the surrounding area would be put into motion, with a potential opening sometime over the next decade, officials have said.
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