Are Elk Grove homeowners leaving because of the zoo or construction? Residents and real estate agents weigh in

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At least one Elk Grove resident is concerned that people might leave town near where the new zoo is planned to be built.

Following the Elk Grove City Council’s approval this month to move the Sacramento Zoo from Land Park to Elk Grove by 2029, a Reddit user in a recent post claimed to have seen signs “to sell » appear in the neighborhood, near Route Kammerer and promenade Lotz.

The anonymous user asked: “Is this a real phenomenon or am I just seeing things?” Are (owners) abandoning their property because they are worried about traffic noise and odors in the future? If you are a property owner near this area, what do you think of this proposal and the future of your property? »

Sacramento real estate agent Christina Changco dismissed the idea that people were moving because of the new zoo. It’s quite the opposite, she said.

“People will flock,” said Changco, who has been a real estate agent for two years after 13 years in corporate real estate.

“This is also a five-year project that is expected to be completed by 2029. It will create jobs, so more people will move here. It’s going to bring experiences, so tourism is going to increase in Elk Grove. So with these two things combined, Elk Grove is going to be an insane real estate market. So it’s time to get your foot in the door.

Changco held an open house Sunday for an Elk Grove home located at 8883 Solo Way. The house is listed at $599,999, she said. It was rented for $3,500 a month.

She said it was the previous owners’ first home and now they are ready to move.

“They turned it into a rental property and then once the tenants decided to leave, they decided to sell, use that equity and move into something bigger, a forever home,” Changco said. “I think a lot of owners have failed to plan. These homeowners have planned their project and now have the opportunity to own their largest forever home in five years. This is unheard of. »

Changco, 34, has seen that growth and even experienced it firsthand, after moving from San Francisco to Elk Grove with her family four years ago.

“There is a huge opportunity here, especially in 95757, for homeowners to build equity quickly,” Changco said. “A lot of homeowners who buy here are from the Bay Area. (Elk Grove) a bit like a hidden secret.

The “next Land Park”?

Changco expects neighborhoods adjacent to the possible Elk Grove Zoo to increase in value, as will homes near the Sacramento Zoo’s current home in Land Park.

“This area is poised to become the next Land Park and we already know the value of homes — we’re talking about a 1,000-square-foot home for a million dollars (in Land Park),” Changco said. “There is a huge opportunity, especially for first-time home buyers. Don’t sleep on this opportunity.

The new zoo is one of the reasons Ricci Walker, 34, moved her family to Elk Grove more than a year ago.

“That was one of the reasons we wanted to move and come here and live here was because they were building the zoo and because they were putting the casino here,” Walker said, referring to the Sky River Casino, which opened. in 2022. “Plus, it was quite a smaller, less expensive community than a lot of the other homes here. »

Walker said he’s not worried about the new zoo, the construction or the increased foot traffic that goes with it all.

“I understood all the ins and outs,” Walker said. “I know they’re going to move the dirt and there’s going to be a lot of bugs and other things to come.”

Walker’s concerns include whether a new light rail route would run through parts of his neighborhood near Lotz Parkway. While there has been no official transit plan for the area, he has made it clear that he disapproves of a light rail or any sort of transit stop.

In the meantime, he said he just needs to consider a “cheesy fence” and would prefer a brick wall separating the community from main streets and grassy areas.

Walker hopes the city will provide residents who live near the construction site “some sort of annual pass” to the zoo.

Still, Walker is happy with his location. When asked if he would ever consider selling, his answer was an emphatic no.

“I was more in the end game, knowing the property was going to go up because the zoo was there,” Walker said.

Elk Grove real estate agent Britt Wiseman was shocked to hear rumors that people were moving because of the zoo. She, too, expects home values ​​in southeast Elk Grove to rise, similar to those in Land Park.

“We literally use the zoo as a selling point,” said Wiseman, a real estate agent in the Sacramento area for 20 years. “From my perspective, all you have to do is look at Land Park and know that the zoo has improved that neighborhood instead of harming it. We really see this as a positive for the (Elk Grove) neighborhood.

Wiseman, who also resides in Elk Grove, described the city as a “family neighborhood.”

She held an opening for a five-bedroom, four-bathroom home that included an “in-law quarters.” The home, located at 8812 Polka Way, measures more than 3,000 square feet and is listed for $825,000.

She said he was from a military family who had transferred to Maryland for work.

“It’s an incredible house,” Wiseman said. “Amazing open floor plan. …It has fabulous exteriors and a lovely entertainment area. A little grass, space between your neighbors and a covered terrace. It’s a superb house.

Wiseman believes the zoo will improve the entire area.

“It’s great to be able to walk to the zoo and have that be part of your experience on a weekly basis,” Wiseman said. “All these neighbors (near the Sacramento Zoo) love having him there. So I think this will only do good things for this area. I’m sure they’re sad it’s leaving because it really improves this neighborhood and it will do the same thing here.