Our Master Plan

Why did you ask poll questions during the event, and how will you use this information? 
We asked two poll questions during the interactive tele-town hall event to gauge guest engagement and involvement in the public neighborhood sessions we had prior to the tele-town hall, and how much they were able to learn throughout the tele-town hall itself.  

How many people attended each engagement session the Zoo held in 2018, 2019, and 2023? 
Our six previous engagement sessions before the tele-town hall had more than 250 people in attendance from neighborhoods adjacent to the Zoo. The feedback at these sessions was used to inform the 2023 Amendment.

How are you funding this parking construction project? 
These plans are self-funded by John Ball Zoo. 

How will runoff from rainfall be managed? 
We will incorporate strips of green spaces, edges, and swales to accommodate rainwater and proper drainage.

Where will people park during construction? 
Zoo guests will continue to park in our current parking lots and overflow grass parking until the construction phases are completed. 

What is the route for the new road?  
The 2023 Amendment closes the current drive access to Park Street and replaces it with a connection directly to Butterworth Street. We made this design choice because it will prevent more than 200,000 cars from exiting the Zoo directly into the adjacent neighborhood per year. Having access to Butterworth Street gives us two primary access points on major streets, along with Fulton Street. John Ball Zoo is a major cultural destination in our city, and having these two access points will allow people to come in and out in a safe and efficient manner. 

When would construction begin on plans in the 2023 Amendment, and when will construction end? 
Whether we implement the county-approved 2015 Master Plan or the 2023 Amendment, we plan on beginning construction during summer 2024, with the goal of completing the first phase by the end of 2024.

Will John Ball Zoo engage firms using union labor for these construction projects? 
John Ball Zoo does not require work to be performed by union laborers, though union labor has been part of various construction projects at the Zoo.

What was the bidding process like for the architecture/construction companies? 
We regularly request proposals for projects at John Ball Zoo. The Request for Proposals for the architectural firm working on this project was previously completed. 

If guests enter the Zoo via Lake Michigan Drive and drive to Fulton Street, how does exiting on Butterworth Street improve their parking/visiting experience? 
Access to Butterworth Street gives us two primary access points along major streets, along with Fulton Street. John Ball Zoo is a major cultural destination in our city and county, and having these two access points will allow people to come in and out in a safe and efficient manner.

Can you ensure the proposed green space will be preserved for the neighborhood in perpetuity? 
The 2023 Amendment includes a stipulation that the usable greenspace created remain green in perpetuity, and this decision was made after feedback from our neighbors, and this is subject to county approval. It is the intent of John Ball Zoo to preserve the green space.

If you proceed with the parking plan, where will the annual carnival be held? 
Under both the approved 2015 Master Plan and 2023 Amendment, the carnival can be accommodated in its current form.

What is the future plan for when the need for parking increases beyond the capacity built in the 2023 Amendment? 
We know as Kent County continues to grow that we are going to need to accommodate the increased need for parking. We are assessing a combination of a green parking garage, which would be built against the hill on the surface parking included in the 2023 Amendment, along with public transit options and parallel parking within the neighborhood. In the long term, a green parking garage is the best solution as a next step after the 2023 Amendment, because it is a significant investment and will need to be thoroughly planned with funding secured. The 2023 Amendment includes a plan to lay the foundation for a green parking garage under the paved parking lot now to prepare for that eventual construction.

Why don’t you build a parking garage now? 
The proposed 2023 Amendment improves safety, addresses parking, creates permanent, usable green park space for the community, and provides the foundation for a green parking garage in the future. We do believe at some point we may need to build a parking garage; however, this is currently cost prohibitive without securing other sources of public funding. The parking garage is anticipated to be built on approximately the same footprint as the paved parking by the hill that is included in the proposed 2023 Amendment. 

How has the Zoo engaged with adjacent neighbors? 
John Ball Zoo has held multiple public engagement sessions with neighbors since 2018. We reached out to our 1,000 closest neighbors via mail in 2018 to invite them to a public design workshop at the Zoo. A month later, we reached out to nearly 4,000 households to invite them to a public design workshop. Another similar community meeting was held in January 2019. Following a pause during COVID-19, we invited 5,000 of the closest households to join another community meeting in February 2023. We also held two public open houses in May and June of this year. The tele-town hall event on Nov. 15 was the seventh community engagement session we held. The feedback we received during each of our engagement sessions has been so valuable to us, and our neighbors’ feedback has been incorporated into 2023 Amendment planning.

If the Kent County Board of Commissioners rejects the amendment, will the Zoo proceed with the original master plan?  
If the Board of Commissioners does not approve the 2023 Amendment, John Ball Zoo will need to move forward with the 2015 Master Plan, which was already approved by the Board of Commissioners via the democratic process. 

Who is making the decision about the 2023 Amendment?  
The Kent County Board of Commissioners will have the ultimate say in whether we move forward with the approved 2015 Master Plan or the 2023 Amendment. We will revisit our Amendment with the Kent County Finance & Physical Resources Committee on Nov. 21. If recommended by the committee, the amendment will be considered by the full Board of Commissioners on Nov. 30. These meetings are open to the public. 

Does the 2023 Amendment include an amphitheater on the south side of the park? 
Through multiple engagement sessions, we heard from the majority of neighbors that they would prefer the space be kept as green park space, so the 2023 Amendment does not include an amphitheater. 

How important is the parking plan for the Zoo’s success and continued growth? 
Both the approved 2015 Master Plan and the 2023 Amendment will allow us to serve hundreds of thousands of guests per year, but the 2023 Amendment adds the input of our neighbors and creates the most usable green space near their homes. Zoo guests travel from all 83 Michigan counties and all 50 states, and the addition of the green space, gardens, and other improvements in the 2023 Amendment will provide a beautiful, usable green space for those coming to and going from the Zoo.  

You need to submit a new master plan for 2025. Why not come up with a new and improved master plan rather than making changes before 2025? 
According to our lease operating agreement with Kent County, we submit a Master Plan every 10 years although it is not a requirement to submit a plan in 2025. Without a new Master Plan, the current 2015 Master Plan is still the valid document. We are in the very early stages of developing the next Master Plan, however there is an immediate need to address parking now, which is why we are proposing the 2023 Amendment. This Amendment is the best solution for our guests, our community, and Kent County as a whole.

What alternatives did the Zoo consider when planning the 2023 Amendment? 
John Ball Zoo examined numerous alternatives to paved parking while planning the 2023 Amendment, and below are some of those options: 

–  Encourage a coordinated plan between the Zoo and other large area attractions. 

John Ball Zoo has worked alongside our neighbors to come up with the 2023 Amendment, which is a win-win for our community and our guests. We are always open to a broader conversation with other organizations to build onto the 2023 Amendment. 

– Add a parking lot to the Butterworth Landfill and operate a Zoo shuttle. 

In 2023, H2R Market Research* completed a parking concepts study for John Ball Zoo, focusing on and testing multiple options for offside parking with remote shuttle services. The results of this study showed that offering offsite parking with shuttle transportation could result in a 30% decrease in guest attendance. We believe the 2023 Amendment is the best solution for our guests, our neighbors, and the community because it improves safety, addresses parking, and creates usable green space for the community. 

*H2R Market Research is an international award-winning research consultancy that specializes in providing customized market research services in the Travel, Destination, and Attractions Industries and other areas impacting consumer quality of life. 

– Build a parking garage now at the top of the hill where Zoo staff parking already exists.  

The area on top of the hill is slated for our African Expansion, which would bring giraffes and other animals to the Zoo for the community to learn about and enjoy, contributing to our mission of preserving wildlife and wild places locally and around the world. Because of the small footprint of this area, a parking garage placed there would need to be several stories high. This is one of the highest points in the city of Grand Rapids, and having a tall parking structure on top of the hill would be a burdensome eyesore for the community. 

– Add more bicycle parking.  

Though the vast majority of Zoo visitors do not arrive by bike, additional bicycle parking is included in the 2023 Amendment to encourage those who live nearby to travel by bike. In 2022, we added an additional bike station by our ticketing area, and in 2023 we added additional areas to promote the city of Grand Rapids’ Lime Mobility program. 

– Add angled parking spaces along Valley Avenue. 

John Ball Zoo would support this effort if the city of Grand Rapids decided to implement this change. However, this would not meaningfully impact the current parking needs. 

– Incentivize the use of public transportation.  

Nationally and locally, the vast majority of Zoo guests do not use public transportation to get to the Zoo. With more than 70% of the Zoo’s attendance coming from outside the city of Grand Rapids, this mode of transportation is not feasible for many of our guests and would not meaningfully impact the current parking needs. There is a Bus Rapid Transit station at the Zoo, and we did assess incentivizing the use of public transportation in the past, and participation was extremely low. 

– Share parking with nearby parking lots and operate a Zoo shuttle  

In 2023, H2R Market Research* carried out a parking concepts study for John Ball Zoo, focusing on and testing multiple options for offsite parking with remote shuttle services. The results of this study showed that offering offsite parking with shuttle transportation could result in a 30% decrease in guest attendance.  

*H2R Market Research is an international award-winning research consultancy that specializes in providing customized market research services in the Travel, Destination, and Attractions Industries and other areas impacting consumer quality of life. 

– Continue to use the field along Valley Avenue for overflow parking instead of adding more lots.  

Following neighbor feedback from our community engagement sessions, we were asked to move the parking further away from homes. The 2023 Amendment directly incorporates this feedback and will turn the field along Valley Ave into permanent useable, green park space. 

– Continue to use street parking in the neighborhood. 

During our community engagement sessions, many neighbors shared their frustration about Zoo and park visitors consistently parking in spaces near their homes, resulting in no consistently available spots for homeowners or their guests. 

We’ve also received complaints from Zoo guests who needed to park in the adjacent neighborhood due to the Zoo’s overcrowded parking lots. This results in a significantly negative guest experience and a barrier to access the Zoo. 

– Use green pavers.  

The use of green pavers in certain areas of the design has been considered. It has been deemed impractical for large areas due to the challenges to mobility and stroller use as well as the poor performance in high traffic areas.

What was done with feedback from people during the previous engagement sessions in 2018, 2019, and 2023? 
John Ball Zoo’s Master Plan Amendment is a community plan that was informed by our neighbors and redesigned based on their input and feedback. The 2023 Amendment improves safety, addresses parking, and creates usable green park space for the community — all things that our neighbors have asked for in our sessions with them. The current approved 2015 Master Plan shows paved parking lots in closer proximity to many of our neighbors. Following neighbor feedback, we moved the parking away so this area can become usable green space. The 2023 Amendment also includes a stipulation that the usable green space created remain green in perpetuity. We are very proud of our years of working alongside our neighbors to come to a solution that works better for the community, John Ball Zoo, and Kent County as a whole. 

Has there ever been a discussion to move the Zoo outside of a residential neighborhood? 
Yes. In 2004, Kent County residents voted to keep the Zoo at its current location. 

Could we pave behind the Zoo where there is a golf course? 
Because this isn’t our property, we cannot use this area for additional parking. The golf course is not owned by Kent County, and therefore our Master Plan cannot cover this area. 

How will the 2023 amendment and the 2015 approved master plan affect our home values? 
While we at the Zoo focus on saving wildlife and wild places, we understand that questions about the impact of the 2023 Amendment and the already approved 2015 Master Plan on home values are outside our expertise. We recommend reaching out to your local government offices, urban planners, or real estate professionals who can provide more accurate and specific information on this matter.

Is there anything in the updated master plan to better maintain the two playgroups on the zoo site? 
In the 2023 Amendment, the areas around the playground will be enhanced, providing greater ease of access for families. We are proud that the playground, which was built based on feedback from the neighborhood, has provided a place for play groups and families to enjoy. 

Is there information on how the reduction of on-street and in-neighborhood parking improves public safety? 
The 2023 Amendment will eliminate more than 200,000 cars from exiting directly into the adjacent neighborhood per year. It will improve safety where children play, where neighbors walk and where people park their cars. 

How many jobs will be added, and how many additional people will attend, should the additional parking be added? 
We are projecting an additional 50,000 guests in 2024, on top of the more than 700,000 guests who visit John Ball Zoo each season. With each additional 10,000 guests, 12 jobs are created in Kent County. During construction of the 2023 Amendment, 100 local jobs would be created. 

How much parking space is planned in the 2015 Master Plan versus the 2023 Amendment? 
In total, there is approximately 12 acres of paved parking space in the approved 2015 Master Plan. There is about 10 acres of paved parking space in the proposed 2023 Amendment.

Does the proposed 2023 Amendment impact the tennis courts in our park? 
The current tennis courts would be removed as part of the proposed 2023 Amendment and would be replaced and upgraded to mixed-use recreational courts. Our intent is to work with the neighborhood on how the mixed-use courts are designed.