Officials show off benefits of moving zoo to Elk Grove ahead of critical city council vote

Ahead of a make-or-break vote to determine the future home of the Sacramento Zoo, officials from the city of Elk Grove and the zoo unveiled several new renderings of what the $300 million facility could look like when completed and touted the economic benefit it could bring for the county’s second-largest city.

On Monday at the current Land Park attraction, Sacramento Zoological Society and Elk Grove city leaders also shared analysis from the project’s economic and revenue impact report, which says an expanded zoo could raise $249 million in benefits for the capital region. That includes $128 million in direct spending and $111 million in labor income over the next five years, as well as fostering more than 2,000 construction jobs and 400 positions once the zoo is completed.

Further, according to an analysis, an expanded facility a mile west of Sky River Casino would generate an estimated average of $2.7 million annually in state and local tax revenues, including over $800,000 a year for Elk Grove.

The Elk Grove City Council will vote Wednesday on whether to give final approval to kick off the first phase of the development of the site near Kammerer Road and Lotz Parkway.

Jason Jacobs, the zoo’s CEO and executive director, said that the relocation would create more space for the animals and help rededicate the zoo’s mission to education and recreation once completed in

“There’s been a lot of work that has gone into this project,” Jacobs said. “Not only with the zoo, but our partners at the city of Elk Grove. (There are) so many members of the community who have made a commitment to help make this possible. ... We’re really enthusiastic about Wednesday night and look forward to sharing more information about the project.”

Discussions about a new home for the zoo have been taking place for nearly four years as the zoo has outgrown its current 14.3-acre facility, which has been its home since 1927. Talks between the zoo and Elk Grove have been taking place since 2021.

A new 65-plus-acre facility, according to Christopher Jordan, Elk Grove director of strategic planning and innovation, could support as many as 1.6 million visitors each year and would be a fully green, fully solar-powered and fully sustainable campus that would help the zoo meet current Association of Zoos and Aquariums guidelines.

“It’s not just about having the right business model to support your mission, it’s about taking care of these animals,” he said. “The first phase of the new zoo would relocate these giraffes into a habitat that’s over 10 times the size of this yard they have now.”

Unveiling fresh renderings of the proposed site, officials like Christopher Jordan, Elk Grove’s director of strategic planning and innovation, said the city would try to be as aggressive as possible in getting started if the council approves the plan.

The city would be on the hook for more than half, 57%, of the estimated $302 million in construction costs to bring a new zoo to life. Of that amount, 38% of the money would be financed by a bond while 31% would come from the city’s general fund. The rest, 26% and 5%, would come from community funding partnerships and developers’ fees, respectively.

“Elk Grove ... has a role to play in many regards and this is potential for us to serve in that capacity,” Jordan said.

The new renderings included views of indoor and outdoor eating spaces, as well as spaces for recreational activities.

Still, officials don’t expect the zoo to be completed and the animals to make the move until 2029, though officials said a “preview phase” could be unveiled two years earlier.

But what about a new name? Jordan said there haven’t been any discussions about a change just yet.

“A new name would be decided by city council,” Jordan said.

Sacramento resident Jackie Robinson was a first-time visitor to the zoo in the midst of Monday’s news conference, which featured J. Gregory, the zoo’s first white rhinoceros. Robinson, who came to Land Park with her friend and their children, was optimistic that a new zoo, even 13 miles away Elk Grove, would fare well.

“I like its location right now,” Robinson said. “But I’m sure it’ll be nice over there (in Elk Grove) too.”