A long-awaited fix to Memphis Zoo parking on the greensward is underway. How it happened

Micaela A Watts, Memphis Commercial Appeal
·2 min read

After years of protests, scrapped solutions, and bitter accusations of environmental harm, the saga of the zoo parking on the Overton Park greensward is now officially moving toward a resolution thanks to $3 million in federal funds.

Originally announced in November of 2022, the logistics that allow for what officials describe as a "win-win" involve moving what is now the zoo's maintenance area to the southeast corner of the park, where city maintenance buildings are currently.

The area currently inhabited by zoo maintenance facilities and equipment will transform into 300 extra parking spaces for zoo visitors, nullifying the former idea of paving over 2.4 acres of the greensward.

"The news about Overton Park just keeps getting better and better, doesn't it?" asked Tina Sullivan, the executive director of the nonprofit Overton Park Conservancy.

Mayor Jim Strickland and U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen listen to a speaker as trees bordering The Old Forest Arboretum are seen behind them during a press conference to discuss the $3 million in federal Community Project funding Cohen secured for the Overton Park-Memphis Zoo Parking Solution Initiative in Memphis, Tenn., on Tuesday, October 31, 2023.
Mayor Jim Strickland and U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen listen to a speaker as trees bordering The Old Forest Arboretum are seen behind them during a press conference to discuss the $3 million in federal Community Project funding Cohen secured for the Overton Park-Memphis Zoo Parking Solution Initiative in Memphis, Tenn., on Tuesday, October 31, 2023.

Sullivan, outgoing Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland, Memphis Zoo President and CEO Matt Thompson and U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen gathered Tuesday to announce the funding and the official start of the renovation plans.

"This parking puzzle probably seems like it shouldn't have been so hard to solve," said Sullivan, "But, some problems seem so simple on the surface yet are very complex."

For Strickland, the complexity of contested parking on the greensward has been one of the high-profile obstacles he's faced during both his terms and one issue he's able to bookend with a little more than two months left as mayor.

Both Sullivan and Cohen praised Strickland for what they described as his "determination" to find a solution when it seemed impossible.

Tina Sullivan, Overton Park executive director, speaks during a press conference to discuss the $3 million in federal Community Project funding Cohen secured for the Overton Park-Memphis Zoo Parking Solution Initiative in Memphis, Tenn., on Tuesday, October 31, 2023.
Tina Sullivan, Overton Park executive director, speaks during a press conference to discuss the $3 million in federal Community Project funding Cohen secured for the Overton Park-Memphis Zoo Parking Solution Initiative in Memphis, Tenn., on Tuesday, October 31, 2023.

"He [Strickland] deserves a lot of credit, and he took a lot of gruff," said Cohen.

While the parking solution is the more recognizable issue, the secured federal funding also enables a host of other park features.

  • Rainbow Lake will be "naturalized" to look less like a concrete pond and more like a lake;

  • A new pavilion by Rainbow Lake for park guests ;

  • Walking trails around portions of the greensward that will connect to a trail and seating around Rainbow Lake;

  • Future, but for now undetermined, public use of a parcel of land in the southeast corner of the park;

  • A new section of forest that borders the greensward will feature walking trails.

Micaela Watts is a reporter for The Commercial Appeal covering healthcare, hospitals, resource access, and anything else that pops up. She can be reached at micaela.watts@commercialappeal.com.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis Zoo, Overton Park greensward parking solution being implemented