PROJECT LOCATION AND SETTING: The proposed Project site lies in the northeastern portion of Griffith Park at the base of the eastern foothills of the Santa Monica Mountains. Griffith Park is bordered by the cities of Burbank and Glendale to the northwest and northeast, respectively, as well as communities within the City, including Los Feliz, Hollywood Hills, and Cahuenga Park to the southwest. The Project site encompasses the entire existing 133-acre Zoo, located at 5333 Zoo Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90027. The Zoo is roughly bound by the Golden State Freeway or Interstate 5 (I-5) to the east and the Ventura Freeway or California State Route 134 (SR-134) to the north. The Los Angeles River also borders the north and east boundaries of Griffith Park before continuing south and eventually flowing into the Pacific Ocean at Long Beach. Regional vehicular access to the Zoo is provided via I-5, located approximately 0.2 miles east of the Zoo entrance, as well as SR-134, which is located approximately 0.35 miles north of the northern boundary of the Zoo. Local access to the Zoo entrance within Griffith Park is provided by Zoo Drive from the north and west and via Western Heritage Way and Crystal Springs Drive from the south.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: The proposed Project would guide future development and modernization of the Zoo for the next 20 years. The proposed Project would include comprehensive redesign and redevelopment of the Zoo to replace outdated buildings and infrastructure and upgrade animal care and guest amenities through the 133-acre Zoo. Improvements would include new and revitalized immersive exhibit space and animal habitats, new visitor-serving buildings, expanded and modernized administrative and services facilities, circulation improvements for access roads, pedestrian walkways and paths, an enhanced entry way and plaza, and new parking facilities. The Project is projected to increase annual visitation by approximately 1.2 million visitors per year. This projected growth in visitation and expansion of facilities within the Zoo property would have commensurate increases in employment. See Section 2.0, Project Description of the EIR for a detailed description of the proposed Project.

The City will consider all comments, written and verbal, in preparation of the Final EIR.

PUBLIC REVIEW PERIOD: The Draft EIR was circulated for a sixty (60) day public review period, beginning on December 17, 2020 and ending on February 15, 2021. All comments will be addressed in the Final EIR.

 

For more information about the project, please contact: 

Norman Mundy, Environmental Supervisor II

Los Angeles Bureau of Engineering, Environmental Management Group

1149 S. Broadway, Suite 600, Mail Stop 939
Los Angeles, CA 90015
Norman.Mundy@lacity.org

 

VIRTUAL PUBLIC MEETING: Due to the ongoing public health crisis associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, a virtual public meeting was held on January 13, 2021.