Reptile & Amphibian Forums

DAILY HERALD (Provo, Utah) 27 July 07 Poll: Should snake farm be approved?
Dan Sutherland, the snake farm owner who's been trying to move his business to Mapleton, has been mistreated by officials and residents of that city and deserves an apology -- as well as the permit he needs.
He wants to move his snakes to property he owns on South Main Street. It's zoned for agricultural use -- including "breeding and raising of exotic animals" -- and he has agreed to a long list of conditions to ensure that his snake farm won't bother the neighbors.
Recently, though, the Mapleton City Council affirmed a narrow decision to deny the conditional use permit Sutherland has been seeking.
Neighbors' concerns about property values spiked the permit. An appraiser's study found that the snake farm wouldn't bring down property values, but could -- could -- cause properties to stay on the market longer before selling at full price.
Even Mapleton's city manager said the effect was "unquantifiable." As such, it shouldn't be used to keep a property owner and businessman from using his land in a responsible, legal manner.
Sutherland plans to appeal the city's decision to state court. There is reason to think he will prevail. In addition to the appraiser's report, the state property rights ombudsman weighed in -- and he said the permit should be granted.
The conditions contained in the permit "will mitigate the impact of the proposed use on the value of neighboring property owners," the ombudsman's report states. "Since the negative aspects of the proposed use can be mitigated ... the application must be approved."
Sutherland sells ball pythons and boa constrictors over the Internet. The barns he has built on the Mapleton property would house about 1,500 snakes, as well as baby rats and mice to feed them.
Right now, he operates in an industrial park in Spanish Fork. Other tenants there have submitted affidavits that his business is clean, odor-free and safe.
He's also got the endorsement of a California appraiser who looked at home sales data during the time that Sutherland's operation was in Palmdale, Calif.
"Your reptiles and rodents held on your property over the past 10 years absolutely had zero affect/impact on marketability and market values of homes in the neighborhood," the appraiser wrote in a letter provided by Sutherland's lawyer.
It is not a store-front business, so there shouldn't be any traffic to bother neighbors. And while there would be a lot of snakes, apparently they're quite secure -- the animal cages, for example, reportedly survived the 6.7-magnitude earthquake that struck Northridge, Calif. in 1994.
As long as Sutherland abides by requirements regarding odor, animal waste, security and monitoring, there seems to be little reason for Mapleton to ban the snake farm.
In fact, if snakes are ever allowed to move in, people might not even know they're there.
***
What do you think?
Should Dan Sutherland be approved for a snake farm in Mapleton? Send your comments to dhpolls@heraldextra.com or call 344-2942. Please leave your name, hometown and phone number with your comments. E-mail comments should not exceed 100 words; voice-mail comments should be no longer than 30 seconds. Anonymous and unverifiable responses will not be published.
The Daily Herald will publish comments on Aug. 5.
http://www.heraldextra.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=230297&Itemid=99999999
Poll: Should snake farm be approved?

below is my comment that I sent, what do you'll think?

"This story points out the sad but common problem with locality officials…they rarely follow the law, basing decisions on personal prejudices, ignorance, and intolerance. Not only should Mr. Sutherland be approved, but this should never have been a problem in the first place as he was in accordance with the city code from the beginning. The locality officials should be held responsible for ethical violations and removed from position. The rights of an individual must be upheld against the persecution of the majority."
-----
-David

1.0 ball python (Pandora - don't ask)
1.0 argentine boa (Prometheus)
0.1 hogg island boa (Andromeda)
0.0.1 brazilian rainbow boa (Inara)
1.0 kenyan sand boa (Diablo)
1.0 normal corn snake(Cypress)
0.1 amery. corn snake (Morgan LaFay)
0.0.1 banded cali. kingsnake (Cain)
1.0 tangerine honduran milksnake (Narcissus)
0.0.1 snow corn snake (Valkyrie)
1.0 amazon tree boa (Pegasus)
0.0.1 colombian boa (Athena)
0.0.1 sandfish skink (Slick)
0.0.1 fire skink (Phoenix)
1.0 dog (Luke)

the wife's pets:
1.1 ferrets (Ares, Enyo)
0.0.1 betta fish (Captain Morgan)
1.2 cats (Galahad, Ripley and Sassy)