The Sacramento Zoo made progress last week and is on track to move to Elk Grove from Land Park with the announcement that the Sacramento Zoological Society reached its $17.5 million fundraising milestone.
The proposed zoo will be a 65-acre site near Kammerer Road Lotz Parkway in Elk Grove.
Although the milestone has been met, Elk Grove's city council members are divided on what to name the new zoo.
Some Elk Grove city officials criticized the proposed name, “The Greater Sacramento Zoo in Elk Grove,” and decided to postpone the zoo project's name until its Feb. 12 city council meeting.
Elk Grove City Council member Darren Suen believes that the city’s name should be featured more prominently, primarily since the city is investing significant money in the project.
"Fifty years from now, very few people are going to remember the nostalgia we're talking about,” Suen said. “Our grandkids and great-grandkids, they will only know the zoo that is in Elk Grove."
The naming rights of the new zoo were recommended and presented to a committee consisting of Mayor Singh-Allen, Council Member Rod Brewer, and the Sacramento Zoological Society.
According to the city staff report, the proposed name offers numerous benefits, including nostalgia for current and local zoo sponsors and continuity for zoo donors.
"We want our name front and center, but this is where we really had to step back a little bit and then look at just the big picture,” Singh-Allen said. “We're in Sacramento County."
The society must next raise $27.5 million by May 2025. They are responsible for raising $50 million by Jan. 2027.
Follow us for more stories like this
CapRadio provides a trusted source of news because of you. As a nonprofit organization, donations from people like you sustain the journalism that allows us to discover stories that are important to our audience. If you believe in what we do and support our mission, please donate today.
Donate Today
