ELK GROVE – The Sacramento Zoo Society announced on Wednesday that the new proposed zoo in Elk Grove will not be moving forward.

The zoo's interim CEO, Robert Churchill, cited that the size of the Elk Grove location would be "dramatically reduced" and some features would have to be eliminated in order to stay within the budget. 

"This scaled-down version of the new zoo would house fewer species than our Land Park location and would not be financially or operationally sustainable," Churchill said in the statement. "All indicators therefore confirmed that this project was no longer the right choice, and was not the best way to invest our resources or our donors' hard-earned funds."

Elk Grove Mayor Bobbie Singh-Allen said in a statement that the city fulfilled all of its obligations and was committed to the project. 

"The economic climate has changed significantly since we started on this journey and the financial risks associated with the project have increased," Singh-Allen said. "I know many of you are disappointed. I am disappointed, too." 

The new location was set to be around 65 acres in a vacant farmland near the intersection of Kammerer Road and Lotz Parkway in south Elk Grove. 

The City of Elk Grove and the Sacramento Zoo Society began working on the project in 2021. The city council approved the project last year, and construction was expected to begin in 2027.

The City of Elk Grove says it invested about $4.5 million in the project for things like planning, feasibility studies, design and engineering work. This doesn't include the cost the city spent on purchasing the nearly 100 acres where the zoo was going to be built. 

City leaders are expected to consider options for the project site, including possibly selling the property. 

Elk Grove says it will return the $1.9 million in donations to the Sacramento Zoo Society, which will then contact donors to determine if they would like their donation returned. 

In mid-February, Elk Grove city council voted to name the space the "Greater Sacramento Zoo at Elk Grove."

Officials have argued that the current 15-acre zoo has outgrown its site at William Land Park. 

The zoo says it will have more information about what's next in the coming weeks and months.