View from a ridge at Knowland Park. The Oakland Zoo is in the lower left. The park is home to grasslands, woodlands, and chaparral. Photo by Ken-ichi Ueda.
When Jim Hanson looks at Knowland Park, he sees some of the Oakland that came before downtown, before the port, before freeways, before houses climbing the hills.
Last week, after a prolonged and often heated discussion about the future of the Oakland Zoo and the details of its expansion into upper Knowland Park, the City Planning Commission gave the zoo’s amended plan the rubber stamp. But critics of the plan, who say that the full environmental impacts of the 56-acre expansion have not been properly studied, aren’t ready to give up yet.
The Friends of Knowland Park, as part of the Knowland Park Coalition, filed an appeal of the Planning Commission’s approval of the Zoo’s amended master plan and allowing no EIR to be filed.
A hearing on the appeal before the City Council is scheduled for June 21, at 6:30 PM.
Click here to see the agenda…
Click here to see the Clerk’s summary and attachments…
On April 21, San Francisco Public Radion station KQED presented a discussion on their nationally recognized Forum program of the Knowland Park – Oakland Zoo controversy.
Host Michael Krasny interviewed FOKP Co-chair, Prof. Ruth Malone, and Oakland Zoo
Director, Dr. Joel Parrott, as well as others, and took listener comments in email and on their website on the air.
This one hour program delved deep into the issues and opinions on both sides, and is well worth listening to.
On April 20, the San Francisco Chronicle published an article by Matthi Juruvila, describing Knowland Park, the Oakland Zoo’s expansion plans, and the response to them by environmental groups in the region.
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 Ruth Malone |
 Laura Baker |
 Jim Hanson |
 Mack Casterman |
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