Denver Zoo delays plan for a second entrance; still gathering feedback

Denver s zoo will hold off on a pilot undertaking that would have reopened a long-dormant second entrance on the west side of the property inside City Park A zoo spokesman reported the decision was made in advance of a Sept masses meeting with about residents of nearby neighborhoods Plenty of of those neighbors are opposed to the plan reported David Scarbeary president of City Park Friends Neighbors CPFAN a registered neighborhood organization that works with and often prods the zoo on projects that will affect City Park There was a very clear consensus that folks were not ready to have that western gate reopened as it was proposed or described he stated The Denver Post While he commented the zoo may be trying to alleviate parking pressure on its lots That s not why City Park exists he added First and foremost it s for the community birthday parties tennis matches volleyball playground visitors joggers The western entrance of the -year-old zoo is located near the Lorikeet Adventure and Primate Panorama exhibits It is tucked into the park due east of the City Park Tennis Courts and northwest of Duck Lake along an interior road accessible from rd Avenue It was used daily from through explained zoo spokesman Jake Kubi It got sporadic use from to but it s been fully closed for years Zoo agents have mentioned reopening the western entrance could expand access for pedestrians cyclists and others who live close to City Park Bureaucrats proposed and are now holding back on a one-year pilot project to see how the reopening would affect safety traffic flow parking and access to the larger -acre park If or when the pilot eventually starts zoo officers will begin examining evidence from Placer ai a venture that tracks cell phone locations and movement without accessing personal content to show where people are entering and leaving the zoo and how a new entrance may affect the area around it There is no start date or cost estimate for the project The zoo currently sees about million visitors annually and is one of the city s the majority popular cultural attractions Related Articles Denver Zoo plans to open second entrance for the first time in years Denver Zoo lion gives birth to four cubs Denver Zoo s huge sea lion with loud bark dies Denver Zoo s hippo to hop on to Texas wildlife preserve so exhibit can be updated Denver advances now- million list of projects for buildings parks Red Rocks and roads near Burnham Yard We don t have evidence yet because we need to start the pilot to gather it noted Kubi who attended the Sept meeting with zoo COO Cristal DeHerrera Are people taking masses transit Are they walking or biking there Nothing is set in stone However the zoo had already decided to pause the pilot project plan Kubi added so it can gather more feedback He declared the meeting was productive and that attendees concerns were all valid He revealed a few residents spoke in favor of the entrance Scarbeary commented the organization has specific work to do if it wants to convince neighbors The access nowadays to that western entrance would be unsafe Scarbeary noted So they have to address that But it also conflicts with logic to say that it would make a difference in the volume of visitors you get at the zoo to have pedestrian access say for the people who live in South City Park If you re doing it for pedestrians and cyclists as the zoo says would a insufficient dozen or hundred people make a difference in offsetting congestion I don t think so A draft version of the residents survey for the pilot campaign is available at bit ly ciuXn Note the pilot activity hasn t officially begun despite the July start date mentioned in the survey Subscribe to our weekly newsletter In The Know to get entertainment news sent straight to your inbox