Greensward project update

We wanted to pass along a quick update about the ongoing collaboration between the Conservancy, the Memphis Zoo, and the City of Memphis.

Starting today, the Zoo’s main parking lot will be repaved over the next week or two. Over the weekend, depending on demand, the Greensward may be used for parking. After the lot has been paved and striped, parking will resume as usual. We’d like to thank Zoo officials for minimizing the use of the Greensward in recent months as we implement the long-term parking solution.

The Conservancy, Zoo, and City are currently working through the federal grants process to access the $3 million in funding for this project that was part of last summer’s federal appropriations bill. (To read more about the project and see a map of future changes, click here.) Here’s what will happen next:

• The Conservancy will develop a plan for addressing invasive plant species in the forested acreage that is currently adjacent to the Zoo’s temporary exhibit space. We’ll design and build a trail system for this new section of forest, and once it’s ready for visitors, we’ll take down the fence around this section.
• The City will move its remaining functions from the area in Overton Park’s southeast corner and begin doing work to make the space more habitable. The Zoo will then move its maintenance facility there, freeing up its current on-site maintenance facility for guest parking.
• The Conservancy will begin piloting potential uses for the remaining parcel of the southeast corner, which will be converted into an area for public use.

Thank you for your patience as we continue to implement a solution many years in the making!