Playing the devil's advocate...I think that the Sutherlands should have gotten their permits straight before investing so much capital into the buildings/barns that they had already constructed. I'm also confused as to how they got the proper building permits to construct the buildings themselves prior to obtaining approval on a conditional use permit for the business to operate on.

Either way, that really sucks for them. The council is making the issue out to be about zoning regulations and no more, meanwhile the interpretation of the commercial limits on the land usage is going to be affected by public opinion based on fear of snakes.

Those council members would probably have a hard time getting re-elected if they approved a permit for a snake breeding facility within a mile of an elementary school. That sounds rediculous and perfectly acceptable to us, but to a layperson who can't tell a ball python from a king cobra, that's certainly got to be a frightening proposition.

I wish them the best of luck with this...