Okay, okay. Mea culpa. I retract my criticism. Onward zoo! 
Yeah it seems to me like budget creep and since they can't just get more taxes they do these things. I assume the north county safari thing will be pay-to-enter as well. I don't mind if they are charging people for things but I wouldn't mind an audit every five years.symphonicpoet wrote: ↑Dec 22, 2024"Admission costs and other details for Destination Discovery will be available later." So this will be one more pay item, huh? This really disappoints me. I think the zoo has increasingly lost the thread of their mission.
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Children's zoo was also free admission for the first hour of the day, same as the carousel and stingrays.
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What if anything is going on with the former Forest Park hospital lot Highway 40 at Hampton that I believe is owned by the zoo/ Forest Park ?
Regularly on the weekends I see a long Ine of cars backed up on highway 40 attempting to enter the park. and I'm thinking every space looks filled where are those cars going to park?? Why not turn the former Forest Park hospital lot into a parking lot? Do SIOMETGHING useful with it!
If its dry weather let vehicles park there on the grass. It's ridiculous that space it's been sitting empty unused for 10 years plus??
Regularly on the weekends I see a long Ine of cars backed up on highway 40 attempting to enter the park. and I'm thinking every space looks filled where are those cars going to park?? Why not turn the former Forest Park hospital lot into a parking lot? Do SIOMETGHING useful with it!
If its dry weather let vehicles park there on the grass. It's ridiculous that space it's been sitting empty unused for 10 years plus??
The zoo has some parking lots as well as the parking garage on the former hospital property, but I believe that they're only open on special occasions. I've always found there to be plenty of parking along Oakland or elsewhere within the park proper, although I'm also not usually trying to go to the zoo on a nice Saturday afternoon because I agree, it's bit too crazy for my taste.
Yep, spent ten years plus making the safari park in north county come to reality and in part can see the mindset of appeasing the political and county voter in making that happen.
But time for efforts for the grander vision to come together - Admin & conference building, Structured parking, Gondola across I64 and what i think should include a theme hotel w/waterpark for its commercial aspect.
But time for efforts for the grander vision to come together - Admin & conference building, Structured parking, Gondola across I64 and what i think should include a theme hotel w/waterpark for its commercial aspect.
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I could picture the lot being something along the lines of the City Walk outside of Universal Studios - Orlando. Obviously smaller scale, but it could be a plaza of family oriented dining (think Rainforest Cafe) and shopping built around a gondola station. The whole thing could be built on top of a couple layers of structured parking too. Throw in a couple little hotel towers.
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^Agreed - the Zoo needs to bring GreaterSTL into this project... or GreaterSTL needs to become a part of the project. The location couldn't be better for residential/hotel honestly.
It needs to be the focus of a larger “Hampton Connector” redevelopment between 44 and 64. The corridor could be a massive tourist corridor if encouraged by the City.
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Massive tourist corridor? I don’t see that.
Seems like people are happy to leave it a desolate fast food wasteland to be grazed upon by the rubes driving up from StL Hills
Seems like people are happy to leave it a desolate fast food wasteland to be grazed upon by the rubes driving up from StL Hills
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^it honestly reminds me of that graphic that was shared a few years ago about the redevelopment opportunities surrounding Forest Park. I think there was a goal to add a number of residents. I have to imagine if you were to poll interested residents of the city the areas surrounding forest park would be close to the top... a handful of lots could make a huge difference... and the Zoo lot just sits there waiting.
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I agree that the proximity to walkable neighborhoods and forest park, along with the short commute to Clayton, would suggest a far more intense use than what we have now.