Work is underway on the next phase of the county-approved John Ball Zoo master plan with construction on the new North American river otter habitat set to open in 2026.
It will replace the current 43-year-old exhibit and allow space for more otters.
Preliminary work has also begun on the African expansion which will bring giraffes to the zoo.
A parking lot overhaul is nearly complete that increases paved parking to 791 spaces – a plan that involved converting some of the zoo’s public green space, raising opposition from neighbors and nature advocacy groups.
Zoo CEO Peter D’Arienzo says this project includes the planting of more than 800 shrubs, 100 trees and 2,500 native perennials.
Leaders plan to submit the parking project for a SITES certification in a program that evaluates sustainability contributing to healthier environments.
“We will be the first parking lot in the world to achieve a designation that's used for parks and landscapes because we want to show the world - we want to show our community - there is another way to build in the built environment. Instead of a scorched-earth mentality where you create this big open asphalt parking lot, it's filled with trees and shrubs and pollinators and rain gardens and things like that,” says D'Arienzo.
This fall, the zoo will start charging a $5 daily parking fee to support maintenance, amenities and conservation.
Parking will remain free for Kent County residents and zoo members.
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