View the most recent Mayor and Council Memorandum from Sept. 23, 2021 HERE.

A meeting was held on Oct. 1, 2021, to discuss the layout and gather any further input from the community. View a recording below.

A History of the Community Conversation

At the May 4, 2021, Study Session, Mayor and Council provided clear direction on next steps for Gene C. Reid Park and Reid Park Zoo. The primary guidance includes:

1. The Reid Park Zoo expansion will be redesigned to preserve Barnum Hill and the south duck pond as open space in the park. This addressed the primary community concern that resulted in the 45-day pause and the associated Community Conversation.
2. The new location of the zoo expansion is north and west of the Edith Ball Adaptive Recreation Center. This area was the focus of several different concepts that gained momentum at and after the end of the CSG meetings. It gives the opportunity to embrace the values of both Concept D and Concept G – the two concepts of most interest to the CSG.
3. Council’s guidance is to maximize the reuse of existing hardscape and minimize the use of open green space, while keeping the incremental project costs below $5.5M. This guidance makes clear the goal of minimizing impacts to accessible green space in the park, while providing the flexibility to address constructability issues and unknown conditions that will occur.
4. We also understand the need to preserve or enhance pedestrian and bicycle access to and between different areas of the park, the need to address the proximity of new zoo habitat to the activities at Hi Corbett Field, and the need to address parking demand at Reid Park. These issues and others will not only be part of the Reid Park Zoo expansion design, they will also be considered during the upcoming Reid Park and Reid Park Zoo Master Plan, which was also authorized by Mayor and Council on May 4, 2021.

Resources & Links

To view all the historical data and communication regarding the 45-day pause issued by Mayor and Council in March 2021, click here.