Photo: AFP
The Elk Grove City Council has voted unanimously to approve the feasibility study for a new regional zoo.
Sacramento Zoo officials have acknowledged they've outgrown their current Land Park facility, where facilities date back to the 1960's or before. Now if this plan ultimately goes through, it'll be the first major zoological park built in the United States since 1988. “The Society’s partnership with the leadership of Elk Grove creates the possibility that we will be able to give our region — and this state — a new zoo and all of the incredible experiences that come with it,” said Elizabeth Stallard, President of the Sacramento Zoological Society Board of Trustees, in a prepared statement. “We are thrilled to continue this planning and study process.”
The Elk Grove City Council voted based on a feasibility study conducted to review an economic impact analysis for the new zoo. The feasibility study, which was released publicly two weeks ago, reports that the main goal of the zoo is conservation, education and recreation. Sac Zoo officials note that building a new zoo is a time-intensive process, and the zoo in Land Park remains open and will be there for at least another four to five years.