SACRAMENTO, CA (MPG) - On April 28, the Sacramento City Council approved an agreement with the Sacramento Zoological Society to explore a potential 5.8-acre expansion of the Sacramento Zoo in William Land Park.

The action comes as the zoo marks its 100th anniversary and would be its first major expansion since the 1960s.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) sets terms to study the expansion proposal, with any land or funding decisions requiring further City Council approval. The agreement expires Sept. 1, when staff are expected to return to request an extension and outline their next steps.

Under the agreement, the Sacramento Zoological Society will develop conceptual designs showing potential uses for the additional space and conduct community outreach to help ensure the project aligns with the surrounding neighborhood. 

The MOU also includes plans for the society to identify potential funding sources, assess impacts to historic features, trees, utilities, traffic and parking, and determine the need and timing of an environmental CEQA review.

City staff emphasized that the approval does not permit construction and does not commit the city to an expansion, but instead sets a framework for further review.

“The themes of expansion and relocation stretch back more than 40 years. The zoo has faced space challenges for decades,” said Dustin Hollingsworth, assistant director of the city’s Department of Convention and Cultural Services.

The proposal would increase the zoo’s footprint from 14.3 acres to about 20.1 acres, an expansion of roughly 40%. It includes a 4.4-acre parcel across Land Park Drive, formerly home to a pony ride attraction that closed in 2022, and a 1.4-acre parcel directly north of the zoo.

Hollingsworth said expansion talks have been ongoing, driven by efforts to modernize facilities, improve animal care and meet Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA) standards. He added the upgrades could also increase attendance and help maintain the zoo’s role as a regional attraction.

Earlier efforts to relocate the zoo to Elk Grove were abandoned after several years of planning. The decision, announced in April 2025, was made due to economic challenges and rising construction costs. By June 2025, the society shifted its focus to expanding within the existing Land Park site.

Prior to the MOU approval, Land Park News spoke with Kristina Rogers, a 23-year Land Park resident and president of the Land Park Neighborhood Association, who said the association is not opposed to the expansion but wants a more transparent and collaborative process with the city and the Sacramento Zoological Society moving forward.

“We really want to see it thrive and do well,” Rogers said. “But if they’re going to expand, it has to be in a thoughtful manner, and we want to get some details and collaborate with them.”

At the April 28 meeting, residents voiced concerns about added traffic, limited parking and the need to preserve William Land Park’s historic character. Rogers echoed those concerns, saying any plan should address those issues while protecting the neighborhood’s identity.

“It’s (Land Park) been around for over 100 years; it was not designed for the amount of traffic that we get now,” Rogers said. “If the zoo is looking at expanding and bringing in more people, they’re going to have to come up with a way to manage that.”

She suggested solutions including shuttle service similar to other zoos and said the expansion could be strengthened with sustainability features that better connect the zoo to the park and highlight local wildlife, including a potential bat sanctuary. 

Rogers added that ongoing community forums are important to allow residents to provide input as plans develop and help to guide the expansion.