Woodland Park Zoo just received its master use permit to create a new guest entrance on the west side along Phinney Avenue. That new entry is scheduled to open in 2010 to replace the current west and north entries. Construction will begin later this year.
“This new entry will be a great benefit for our guests,” said Dr. Deborah Jensen, the zoo’s President and CEO. “Right now, on a busy day, guests can wait up to 45 minutes to get into the zoo. This improvement will cut waits to 5 minutes, while providing easy access to stroller or wheelchair rental, public restrooms and other amenities.”
The new entry will include a landscaped path from the north end of the zoo (outside the zoo gates). It will include bathrooms, member services, visitor services, equipment rentals, bike racks, coffee and souvenirs. It will also have a computerized sales system to help reduce wait lines on busy days. The overall zoo canopy will increase by 48,000 square feet of landscaping.
The zoo expects nearly half of its annual visitors to enter zoo grounds through the new west entry, while the other half will continue to use the South Entrance located at N. 50th Street and Fremont Ave. N.
