ELK GROVE, CA (MPG) - The Sacramento Zoo is officially coming to Elk Grove after Elk Grove City Council gave final approvals at its May 8 meeting.

The deliberations lasted more than four-and-a-half hours, during which city staff, consultants and zoo representatives laid out their proposal, and more than 40 public commenters shared their opinions, most in support of the move. The council chambers were filled with community members holding signs reading “Vote Yes” and “We Want a Zoo.” 

Though council members expressed concerns over the financial risks of the project, the body ultimately passed all the items before it by unanimous votes.

Regarding the terms of an agreement with the organization that runs the zoo, Councilmember Kevin Spease gave several conditions for his support. The following discussion grew contentious at times and only one of Spease’s proposals received support to go into the final document.

Mayor Bobbie Singh-Allen emphasized the importance of maintaining “donor confidence” in the effort to raise money for the zoo.

Zoo Proposes $300,000,000 Move

City Council signed off on four items necessary to allow zoo construction: an environmental impact report, a special zoning designation for the area, a conditional-use permit, and an exception to the city’s naming policy. City Council also weighed in on a financing agreement with the Sacramento Zoological Society, which runs the zoo.

Christopher Jordan, the city’s director of strategic planning and innovation, said the zoo, founded in 1927, can no longer operate effectively on its current 14.7-acre site in William Land Park. Surrounding residential areas prevent expansion there. While various locations within the city of Sacramento were considered, all fell through.

The zoological society contacted the city of Elk Grove in 2021, and efforts to bring the zoo to Elk Grove have concentrated on a 65-acre site north of Kammerer Road and west of Sky River Casino.

The zoo construction is divided into four phases, the first of which would fill out 30 acres with the zoo’s central pathway and areas featuring African animals such as giraffes, lions, rhinoceroses and alligators. Giraffe-related okapis and primates called geladas would also feature. The projected opening date is spring 2029.

The proposed design would not arrange animals by similar species but by geographic location, said Jason Hill, a partner with zoo design firm SH|R Studios. The species or taxonomic model “led to a very ‘science museum-esque’ organization, but that doesn’t really lend itself toward conservation,” Hill said, adding that geographic organization would tell a “conservation story.”

The new zoo would have dedicated parking to the south, with a series of three roundabouts transitioning between high-speed traffic on Kammerer Road and parking-lot access on Classical Way.

Sponsorship opportunities will be developed, possibly including naming rights for exhibits or the zoo itself.

Jordan estimated that the first phase of construction would cost $258.3 million in on-site work, plus $44 million in off-site improvements.

The zoological society is tasked with raising $50 million through private donations. It says it has already gotten more than $15 million in donations and pledges. According to a fundraising schedule, it is expected to reach the full amount by Jan. 1, 2027.

The city of Elk Grove would foot much of the rest of the bill. The largest share would come from a $114.5 million bond issue. $14.8 million would come from the city’s development impact fee programs for roadways, water and sewers. Elk Grove would also use $93 million in discretionary funds, which include the entirety of the city’s discretionary reserves. The city’s rainy-day fund, for emergencies, would not be touched.

As council members and city staff emphasized, revenue from the Measure E sales tax will not go toward the zoo, and the city would not contribute funding for the zoo’s day-to-day operations.

Zoo Officials Confident in Success

Zoo representatives expressed confidence that they could raise their share of the money and that the zoo would be financially viable in Elk Grove.

“I want to confirm for you, as you can see from history, that the society knows how to run a zoo and run it well because we’ve been doing it for decades,” said zoological society Board President Elizabeth Stallard.

She also noted that the zoo exceeded its first fundraising goal toward the $50 million total, without the project’s official approval.

“That’s important because it shows the support that this community has for making this project happen, not only within Elk Grove but in this entire region,” Stallard said, continuing that the society is ready to step up its fundraising efforts.

While Stallard praised what the zoo has accomplished in its current location, “there’s only so much we can do in our current space for our animals or for our visitors.”

In order to maintain accreditation with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, which certifies standards of animal care at member institutions, the Sacramento Zoo has had to send 20% of its animal collection to other zoos, including hippopotamuses, grizzly bears, tigers, chimpanzees and multiple bird species.

Sacramento Zoo Director Jason Jacobs said a new facility would let the zoo move beyond older models that “gave the illusion of the wild” with cages and concrete grottoes. He said modern zoos focus on “immersion.”

“You feel like you’re in a habitat with the animal, and you end up caring more,” Jacobs said.

When Council Member Darren Suen asked about the strength of the zoo’s commitment to see the project through, Jacobs said, “I’m committed to doing whatever I can to make this project happen.”

Stallard noted that the organization’s board of trustees agreed to freeze their terms to ensure “continuity of leadership” until the zoo project is complete.

According to a business plan that consultant Rick Biddle said used “conservative” assumptions, the zoo in Elk Grove is predicted to attract 850,000 visitors in a normal year, and 935,000 immediately after opening, compared to the roughly 521,000 it expects in 2024.

The zoo would use dynamic admission pricing; on average, admission would rise to $39 for adults with discounts for older adults, children and school groups. Admission would include parking. The plan also assumed that $24,000 households would buy zoo memberships.

Biddle, founder of Relevant Strategies & Solutions, told Suen that the consulting firm had set its assumptions below figures from comparable zoos. He added that the zoo’s operations generate 98% of its current income, and that the zoo run a successful, balanced business “for at least the last seven years.”

“So that’s the confidence that you should have in the numbers with the team that’s going to be in place to run your zoo,” Biddle said.

Council Debates Financial Terms

After hearing the presentation and public comment, council members spoke about a mixture of enthusiasm for the prospect of a new zoo and trepidation at the costs and risks of such a significant decision. In the end, all members supported the four items up for a vote. The financial agreement between the city and the zoological society, for which staff sought only council feedback, proved more controversial.

Suen said he had found the concept of a zoo in Elk Grove “exciting,” but was concerned about the uncertainty involved. He said that “some of that risk was tempered from the responses that we heard” during the presentation of the business plan.

“This isn’t a very light decision,” Council Member Sergio Robles said. “This is actually a pretty hefty one. We’re looking at something where we’re going to have to take out bonds for 30 years. And, I mean, I’m 31. … I’m not going to lie: I was hesitant.”

Robles said he wanted to be sure of the zoological society’s commitment to raising its full share of the price tag.

Singh-Allen acknowledged the comments on risks.

“Of course there are risks, but this is a tremendous investment opportunity. So that consideration — the risk versus the investment — is huge, and we’ve had experts weigh in and provide that data,” the mayor said.

Singh-Allen highlighted the “overwhelming support” she has seen for bringing the zoo to Elk Grove.

Spease said he could not support the financial agreement with the zoological society without four stipulations, including the creation of a bond oversight committee. Before the bond issue or any on-site work, he also wanted requirements that the zoological society have all $50 million in hand, and that City Council conduct a full project review. Finally, he proposed that no on-site improvements happen before the bond issue.

Spease cited Elk Grove’s arduous experience with the “Ghost Mall” near the planned zoo site, a planned retail area left empty and unfinished for years by an unresponsive developer.

“No on-site construction prior to cash on hand. I cannot, will not accept the potential for another Ghost Mall,” Spease concluded.

Debate focused on the requirement for the $50 million, as well as on the oversight committee, which Spease compared to the committee created to review Measure E spending. Brewer wanted requirements that City Council be involved or that members have finance expertise, proposals that other council members did not support.

Brewer also said he felt “side-swiped” that the committee concept had not come up earlier in deliberations.

“I’m pissed … because you dropped it on us right now,” Brewer said.

City staff noted that the requirement to have the $50 million on hand would mean that the zoological society cannot count incomplete pledges in its fundraising progress. Spease said the society can borrow against pledged funds to reach the full amount.

Zoo officials and Singh-Allen voiced concern that this rule would hinder fundraising.

“This is really challenging for donor confidence,” said Stallard, the society board president. Board Member Arthur Scotland called the proposal a “challenge to the integrity of the people who have made a commitment to make these donations.”

Noting the lack of support for his proposals, Spease concluded his arguments.

“I think that the protections I was asking for would not harm anyone. I believe that for whatever reason, folks took it to be an insult, which it was not intended to be,” Spease said. Other council members agreed that he was acting in good faith.

In the end, City Council reached 4-1 consensus to accept the bond oversight committee but Spease’s other proposals failed.

“I want to ensure donor confidence,” Singh-Allen said. “I want this to be a strong message that we are ready to fundraise and make this a reality, that Elk Grove can dream big and build that zoo.”

The next steps on the zoo project will likely include the final terms of the agreement between the city and the zoological society, which will return to City Council after revisions like the addition of the oversight committee. 

For more information about the zoo proposal, visit the city of Elk Grove’s webpage at bit.ly/4baHQDK (case sensitive).