SACRAMENTO, Calif. — It's official, the Sacramento Zoo is looking for a new home. On Tuesday the Sacramento City Council unanimously approved the zoo's request for an in-depth study of top relocation sites.
The 6-month-long economic feasibility study, which could cost up to $150,000, will include a business operations and investment analysis of three possible locations for the zoo - Sleep Train Arena, Bing Maloney Golf Course, and the North Natomas Regional Park.
The 14.7-acre Sacramento Zoo has been a staple of the Land Park neighborhood for nearly a century and first opened it's doors in 1927. But zoo officials say the location among the trees is detrimental - because they have no room to expand.
Due to this inability to grow, zoo officials raised concerns over accreditation in 2018, saying that outdated enclosures would need to expand to meet modern standards set by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. The Zoo has been accredited by the AZA since the 1970s.
RELOCATION STUDY
A 2010 feasibility study conducted by Schultz & Williams and the city of Sacramento, explored Sutter's Landing Park as a possible site for the zoo. In 2018 and 2019 Schultz & Williams also explored 12 other options and found that Sleep Train Arena, Bing Maloney Golf Course, and the North Natomas Regional Park were best suited for the move.
Shortly after the city approved the study, the zoo shared diagrams of what the zoo could be if it were to move to one of the top three locations.
"Once concluded, this site analysis and funding study will help us to take the next important step as we work to continue to fulfill the zoo’s mission of conservation and animal welfare and become a true 21st-century zoological institution," the Zoo said in the post, using #21stCenturyZoo in the caption.
Take a look at the two diagrams below to get a better idea of how the move could impact the size of the zoo. The dotted red line indicates the current size of the 14.7-acre Zoo in Land Park.
NORTH NATOMAS REGIONAL PARK SITE:
BING MALONEY GOLF COURSE SITE:
