Dear Neighborhood Leaders:

Attached is the Denver Zoo’s final building plan that illustrates their plans for physical building locations and future construction as part of their new long-term 2015 Master Plan.  Also attached, per Denver’s Revised Municipal Code (D.R.M.C., Sec. 39-212; Sec. 12-96), is an official notice that Denver Parks and Recreation has received the building plan from the Denver Zoo and that a public hearing to discuss the plan will be held at an upcoming Denver City Council Meeting.  Per Denver’s municipal code, the zoo must seek approval from City Council for any building over 3,000 square feet or more than 35 feet tall. 

The Denver City Council will conduct a public hearing at their regular weekly council meeting on Monday, April 20^th.  This hearing has been postponed for one week from its original date of April 13 due to DPR’s lack of prior notification to Registered Neighborhood Organizations that this notice now serves.

Please note that the Denver City Council will not be discussing or voting on the zoo’s overall master plan.  What they will vote on after the public hearing is whether or not to approve the zoo’s overall physical building plan (attached) that is a part of their master plan.

Anyone interested in participating in the public meeting may sign up to speak before the start of the regular City Council meeting.  Each interested individual will be given 3 minutes for their comments.  The City Council’s chambers are on the 4th floor of the City and County Building at 1437 Bannock Street.  The regular City Council meeting begins at 5:30 p.m. and the hearing will take place in the normal course of business during the meeting, but will not begin before 6 p.m.  Agendas for upcoming meetings and minutes from past meetings can be found on the Denver City Council Website.

The Denver Zoo has held numerous community meetings and conducted an online survey to gather feedback on their master plan.  More details on the Zoo’s master plan, including their future building plan, can be found here: Denver Zoo Master Plan

For questions about the public hearing procedures, please see the City Council website (above) or send an email to dencc@denvergov.org.

To Contact Denver Parks and Recreation, please email us at denverparksandrecreation@denvergov.org or call 720-913-0739.