The Highland Park Community Council will hold a public meeting Thursday on the Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium’s proposal to build a new giraffe barn, part of a 20-year makeover unveiled in the fall.
The zoo will seek approval from Pittsburgh’s Public Art and Civic Design Commission for the structure, which will have a viewing window like the elephant barn.
The community council meeting will give residents a chance to hear about the project, ask questions and provide feedback.
The giraffe barn will include a large “dayroom,” year-round viewing and hay storage, the zoo said in October. It also will allow for public interaction and feeding.
An expanded giraffe yard will connect to the new facility.
The zoo aims to break ground by the end of the year, according to the Highland Park Community Council.
This is part of a broader revitalization of the zoo in Pittsburgh’s Highland Park neighborhood that will include a new front entrance and accessible path, a revitalized habitat for orangutans and improvements to the education complex.
The first phase of the project — which includes the giraffe barn — is estimated to cost $54 million.
