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The zoo was set to expand into 3陆-acres of Reid Park to make way for its 鈥淧athway to Asia鈥� exhibit, taking over the park鈥檚 southern duck pond and Barnum Hill area. Outcry from the public over the loss of green space and a popular part of the park next to the zoo caused city leaders to temporarily halt the project.

蜜柚直播 City Council ordered the pause to make time for a dialogue among community stakeholders. At its May 4 study session, the council will vote on whether to proceed with the zoo鈥檚 originally planned expansion or consider a different option. The city manager鈥檚 recommendation on how to proceed is expected Tuesday, April 27.

The 45-day public outreach mission included conducting the largest citywide survey ever and assembling an 18-member stakeholder group to help recommend a plan.

Two proposals out of eight scenarios for the zoo expansion have topped the list of potential outcomes recommended by stakeholders. One key group of stakeholders advocating for Reid Park preservation are calling for one of the priciest scenarios, but also one of the only ones that preserves park space.

Save the Heart of Reid Park, a nonprofit group which had two members on the core stakeholders group, supports concept G, which would reroute the zoo鈥檚 expansion to the north, taking over its existing parking lot and the city's therapeutic recreation building.

It comes with $15 million to $25 million in additional costs and would delay expansion two to three years.

Besides relocating the zoo entirely, concept G was the priciest of the eight options. The north expansion could require building a parking garage to serve the zoo, the recreation center and the city鈥檚 parks and recreation department. The increased cost covers building the parking garage and relocating the therapeutic recreation building as well as two large communication towers.

However, the proposal would leave Reid Park and its ample green space unscathed, the central goal of Save the Heart of Reid Park.

According to Lauren McElroy Herrera, chair of the nonprofit, the group is also prioritizing minimizing the urban heat island effect, which occurs in metropolitan areas where man-made structures reflect more sunlight and create higher temperatures.

鈥淭he essential thing about what we鈥檙e proposing with option G is that it鈥檚 not contributing to the heat island effect and creating hardscape where there鈥檚 currently park land,鈥� she said. 鈥淩eid Park has been slowly whittled away over the decades, and this is an opportunity to have a win-win that includes maintaining the park.鈥�

McElroy Herrera also says concept G may not be as pricey as advertised. As part of the stakeholder group, she says members discussed cost-saving measures that could help lower the overall price.

Concept D, the other proposal that emerged among stakeholders, calls for the zoo to expand to the northwest into 4陆 acres of green space and 2.11 acres of hardscape while eliminating a baseball practice infield and some of the zoo鈥檚 parking lot. This would come with an estimated $3.6 million additional cost.

McElroy Herrera says this plan would obstruct the park鈥檚 view of the Catalina Mountains while demolishing mature trees in the area. Most importantly, though, the construction would take away park space that she said is invaluable.

鈥淩eid Park was started in 1925 for the benefit of the people of 蜜柚直播, and to have that land available to people in 蜜柚直播 is a really huge benefit to the people,鈥� McElroy Herrera said. 鈥淧roviding parks is part of mayor and council鈥檚 obligations to the city. And providing a zoo is kind of an option, but it鈥檚 not a basic service.鈥�

In order to gauge widespread community input, the city launched an online survey to ask participants to rate their favorite proposals.

The survey closed April 13 with more than 14,000 responses, the most of any survey the city has conducted. The goal was to find the three most neutral outcomes, and in the end the most neutral was concept D, followed by concepts C and B.

Any adopted concept besides the original expansion plan would call for amending the zoo鈥檚 master plan the mayor and council finalized in October 2018. 蜜柚直播 voters approved a one-tenth of 1% sales tax hike to fund the project in 2017.

Veering away from the initial plan would also come with additional costs for a contractor to come up with new logistics for the construction project and a designer to re-envision the expansion in a new location.

Nancy Kluge, president and CEO of the Reid Park Zoological Society, wouldn鈥檛 reveal the zoo鈥檚 preference on expansion.

鈥淲e鈥檙e really waiting to hear the decision of mayor and council. And once we have that, we can start putting the plans into action,鈥� she said.

The mayor and council members can take any action they decide, however, which might not include one of the two options the core stakeholders group narrowed down.

鈥淚鈥檓 hopeful that 蜜柚直播 mayor and council will be walking the talk for protecting our parks and protecting our city from rising temperatures and keeping 蜜柚直播 a great place to live,鈥� McElroy Herrera said.