‘Elk Grove is not our rival.’ Some Sacramento leaders seem ready to let zoo relocate

The Sacramento City Council could make a last ditch effort for the zoo to stay in the city. But it could be too late.

During a council discussion Tuesday, faced with losing the zoo to Elk Grove, most members said they wanted to keep the beloved family amenity in the city (Councilman Rick Jennings even offered to scoop poop). But with the zoo outgrowing its current site, some on the council expressed hesitation with ponying up the millions it would likely need to relocate within the city.

City Councilman Jeff Harris plans to bring an item to the council to direct staff to keep vetting sites in order to find one it can have ready as a viable option if negotiations with Elk Grove fall through.

“For me, the zoo is such a deep institution in the city,” Harris said Wednesday following the council discussion. “I’m not ready to just throw in the towel. I suspect that deal may not work out and if it doesn’t, I want to be ready.”

Mayor Darrell Steinberg would support such a vote, his spokeswoman Mary Lynne Vellinga said, but the city has other areas that need funding, especially its disadvantaged communities and other areas that are economic engines.

The zoo would raise funds for the move, but could need at least $50 million of city money, Steinberg said. That’s money that could instead be used to revitalize the riverfront or spark the construction of much-needed affordable housing, he said.

“I’m a regionalist and not everything is about borders,” Steinberg said at the meeting. “I know we fight for the city and we always do, but Elk Grove is not our rival here.”

Councilman Eric Guerra echoed the need for affordable housing. He said there’s an affordable housing project in his south Sacramento district with a $22 million financing gap. Guerra is running for a state Senate seat that represents Elk Grove.

If the city does propose a site, it seems likely it would be in Natomas — either at the North Natomas Regional Park or former Sleep Train Arena site. California Northstate University is building a hospital at Sleep Train, but that only takes up about 30 acres and the site is about 170 acres, Councilwoman Angelique Ashby said.

It’s unclear if the Sacramento Kings would give away that land to the city, though, after just doing that for the hospital.

Ashby, who represents North Natomas but is also running for the state Senate district that covers Elk Grove, said she would not “get in front of Elk Grove’s effort.”

“I do not fault the zoo for going to Elk Grove,” Ashby said. “My God they showed the patience of Job with this council for how many times they came here. They had no choice but to try to go somewhere else because soon they’ll have to close their doors completely.”

Harris said he wants the city to also consider Bing Maloney Golf Course in south Sacramento, partly for equity reasons — it’s closer to underserved neighborhoods than North Natomas.

“It’s 200 acres, there are mature oak trees, the landscape is already built just for a zoo,” Harris said.

But that golf course, which was once struggling, has become a revenue generator during the pandemic, Councilman Jay Schenirer said. In addition, there are Federal Aviation Administration restrictions for that land due to its proximity to Sacramento Executive Airport.

“I think at this point Bing Maloney is probably off the table,” said Schenirer, who represents that area.

If that’s true, Natomas would still be better than Elk Grove, Harris said.

“It’s not gonna be easy for people from south Sacramento to get to North Natomas to go to the zoo, but it won’t be easy for people from south Sacramento to get to South Elk Grove, either,” Harris said.

There is some legal disagreement about who owns the animals, which could cause a problem in the Elk Grove negotiations, Harris said. Sacramento city staff believes the city owns most of them, he said.

The Sacramento Zoological Society and the city of Elk Grove in September entered into an exclusive negotiating agreement, which expires in March. The zoo has been located on a 14.7-acre lot in Land Park for 94 years, and is in danger of losing its accreditation due to outdated habitats.

A study recommended the zoo move to North Natomas Regional Park, and in December 2020, the City Council was scheduled to take a vote to endorse that site, allowing the zoo to start fundraising. But Steinberg delayed the vote so the city could consider other locations, such as Sleep Train and Bing Maloney. The item did not come back to the council for reconsideration — until Tuesday’s discussion.

“We continue to explore the feasibility of whether we can make this happen in Elk Grove,” said Elizabeth Stallard, president of the zoo’s board of trustees. “We continue to move forward.”

Stallard declined comment on the North Natomas sites and on the question of who owns the animals.

While Elk Grove talks continue, Steinberg wants the city to make a plan for the current zoo site in Land Park — potentially for a small animal refuge site or botanical garden, he said

“There are so many possibilities and so many community amenities that we can begin reimagining now on that site and we ought to get started on that,” Steinberg said.