Proposed Reid Park Zoo expansion survey results

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Almost 14,000 City of Tucson residents and others responded to the City of Tucson’s survey about the proposed Reid Park Zoo expansion. Here’s the results:

https://www.opentownhall.com/portals/310/Issue_10562/survey_responses?scope=all

On May 4 the Tucson Mayor & City Council will be discussing these survey results and hopefully will make a decision as to how to proceed.  The Reid Park Zoo had proposed taking of the south duck pond & Barnum Hill (Options B & C), which met with public outcry, hence the  45 day delay in the original expansion plans, publicizing this survey and holding stakeholder meetings.

Disclosure: I was part of the April 10 community forum, representing one of the nearby neighborhoods. Our group reached consensus on Option G, since it affected the least amount of green space at the park. Architect Bob Vint was in my group.

Lots of opposition to all of the Options (A to H):

47.9% strongly against no expansion at all, Option A

More strongly opposed than strongly in favor of Options B & C (duck pond/Barnum Hill) –

B: strongly opposed 5625, strongly for 4487; C: strongly opposed 5249, strongly for 3931

Most “balanced” pro/con for Option D (northern area of ponds):

44.5 strongly or somewhat against and 44.2% strongly or somewhat for

45% strongly against Option E (southwest area)

47.2% strongly against Option F (golf course to the east)

45.1% strongly against Option G  (north parking lot area)

73.1% strongly against Option H (relocation of Zoo)

Here’s the Community Conversation report in full, with cost analysis of each of these options, which must have been a factor in the survey votes:

https://stories.opengov.com/tucsonaz/published/5XTVjJfd2

Stay tuned for the Mayor/Council decision on May 4th in their study session.  You can watch via livestream.

Option D is the featured image of this post, at $3.6 M addition cost, as it’s being touted as the most “neutral” option due to the survey results.  Could possibly be a win-win for the parties concerned, since the Reid Park Zoo can proceed with an expansion and a win for the Save the Heart of Reid Park activist group who want to save the south duck pond & Barnum Hill from take over. And Option D is not as expensive as some of the other options proposed.

City Manager Michael Ortega just recommended Option D, in a press release yesterday;

City of Tucson News Release – Manager’s Recommendation on Reid Park Zoo Expansion Forwarded to Mayor and Council
City of Tucson <tucson@public.govdelivery.com>