The Connecticut Avenue entrance of the National Zoological Park
Photo: Jessie Cohen/Smithsonian National Zoo
The National Zoological Park has been working on its latest proposal for about a year, taking into consideration the possible environmental impact and disruptions for the Woodley Park community. On Thursday, the 163-acre zoo presented the project, which focuses on expanding the animal exhibitions, science galleries, and visitor centers. The plan, according to a newsletter on the zoo's Web site, also includes turning the current site of the Great Ape House into a new open pavilion as well as renovating the Connecticut Avenue entrance to add "a defined plaza for events and informal gathering" and a 300-space underground parking garage, open late for after-hour events.“If we don’t plan for expansion, if we don’t plan for the future, then it’s just haphazard,” Tim Buehner, the zoo’s design manager, said to the Examiner.
Another proposed change is the addition of an aerial tram, which would make stops at each of the three entrances, "to assist visitors in traversing the topography of the Zoo and to provide a unique interpretive experience with views of the National Zoo and Rock Creek Park," reads the newsletter.
Another proposed change is the addition of an aerial tram, which would make stops at each of the three entrances, "to assist visitors in traversing the topography of the Zoo and to provide a unique interpretive experience with views of the National Zoo and Rock Creek Park," reads the newsletter.
