Fresno Chaffee Zoo Board Approves Initial Design for New Entrance

The Fresno Chaffee Zoo will soon get a new entrance, with the board having approved an initial design for the project. Councilmember Miguel Arias for District 3 confirmed the approval, saying the project will now move forward to the next phase of formal design development and construction planning.

The design takes its cues from the Sierra Nevada: guests will arrive at a foothills-inspired plaza, pass through a forest canopy to the front entrance, and then proceed into the zoo along a river path. The concept marks one of the most visible investments the zoo has undertaken since the opening of the award-winning Kingdoms of Asia exhibit.

The new entrance is the latest in a long line of capital projects made possible by Measure Z, the unique transactions and use tax collected throughout Fresno County specifically for the support of the Fresno Chaffee Zoo, collected at the rate of one-tenth of one percent. The revenue averages about $11 million per year since 2005, and at least two-thirds of proceeds must be spent on capital improvement projects at the zoo, with up to one-third available for operations and maintenance. Fresno County voters approved Measure Z in 2004, 2014 and again in 2023, and the tax has generated $171 million for capital projects to date.

That funding trail runs through nearly every corner of the zoo's grounds. Past Measure Z improvements include renovations of the Reptile House, Tropical Treasures, and Birds of Prey habitats, as well as the King Cobra and Stingray Bay exhibits. General enhancements have added landscaping, the giraffe pathway, and the children's water play area Wilderness Falls. The zoo also used Measure Z funds to construct a $3.5 million home for its Animal Ambassadors program.

The investment has paid off in attendance. The zoo currently draws approximately 875,000 visitors annually, with projections expected to grow to 1.3 or 1.4 million. Measure Z's role in keeping admission affordable has been central to that draw, with low entrance fees cited as a key factor in sustaining broad community access across Fresno County.

The zoo has also earned national recognition for design quality. Fresno Chaffee Zoo was presented with the prestigious Association of Zoos and Aquariums Top Honor Exhibit Award for Sea Lion Cove in September 2014, the highest honor the AZA gives for excellence in live animal display and exhibit design. The Kingdoms of Asia exhibit later earned the same top honors at the AZA Annual Conference, underscoring a track record of award-caliber design work.

A Zoo Authority and Chaffee Zoo Board workshop specifically for the new entrance project was held on February 19, 2026, at the Tonle Classroom inside Kingdoms of Asia on West Belmont Avenue. With the initial design now cleared, the project moves into formal design development, the phase in which architectural details, permitting requirements, and construction timelines will take shape. A construction manager at risk procurement was already posted to the zoo's official solicitations page, signaling that the project is advancing on a deliberate schedule.