Reid Park Zoo Expansion: Tucson City Manager Recommends Project

TUCSON, AZ — The proposed "Pathways to Asia" expansion project at Tucson's Reid Park Zoo took another step toward reality Tuesday.

That's because Tucson City Manager Michael Ortega has recommended the expansion plan be forwarded to Mayor Regina Romero and the City Council.

The latter will convene and discuss the expansion project at its study session meeting on May 4, the city said.

The recommendation includes relocating the expansion project from its original site to a section of the park that's northwest of the zoo.

The findings come after more than 14,000 responses came in on eight proposed actions related to the expansion project at the midtown zoo, with the public asked to rank eight scenarios in order of preference.

Option D, which sought to preserve the existing duck pond and hill near the facility, was the highest-scoring response in the survey, the city said.

The expansion project also creates a new master plan for the facility, replacing the one written in 2018, the city said.

For more information on the zoo's expansion and the results of the city's survey, visit the city's website.