A final hearing on the proposed expansion of the Los Angeles Zoo is being held on Wednesday, June 28th at 5PM. You can submit public comment on the plans until then.
Friends of Griffith Park have some terrific information on the planned expansion, which they oppose. This post from 2022 looks at the most recent alternatives, and Friends acknowledges the many improvements made from previous versions of the plan.
The most significant issues include the excavation of a 60 foot deep canyon in the Condor Canyon area, directly next to the existing hiking trail with the same name. This excavation would remove more than 74,000 cubic yards of earth, which would likely affect or close the hiking trail and alter the landscape. The Zoo also plans to build an additional 73,500 square feet of visitor and event centers — including one on the top of a ridgeline in the park — and would develop over 16 acres of park land that will destroy native trees and habitat.
They REALLY don’t make it easy to track down how to do public comments on these sort of things, so here is the URL to submit electronically. You can also attend the hearing in person at Los Angeles City Hall on June 28, 2023 at 5PM. Room 340 at 200 N. Spring Street.
A draft map of the proposed expansion boundaries — Condor Canyon is on the border at the left edge
