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A reptile expert forced to relocate his vast collection of snakes, lizards and other animals said Monday he has found a new home for his zoo and will begin moving within days.
Jim Dix, of Reptile Rescue Services, has until Oct. 2 to vacate his place in West Valley City, along with hundreds of rattlesnakes, boas, iguanas, tortoises, coyotes, spiders, scorpions and other wild animals accumulated in 18 years of running a rescue operation.
"This is the place it's going to be," Dix said shortly after signing an extendable one-year lease at 543 W. 400 North in Salt Lake City.
The 52-year-old plumber's rental home in West Valley City is the last of 45 houses to be torn down between 3500 South and 4500 South on about 5700 West to make way for the Utah Department of Transportation's Mountain View Corridor project.
The new property, formerly a Mexican restaurant, is located on 0.14 acre between two warehouses and a residential neighborhood. It is a small, three-bedroom residence with a wrap-around driveway, on-street parking and an outbuilding, totaling 1,850 square feet of indoor space.
"Sounds like there's plenty of room," said Dix, who handles a range of dangerous species turned in to animal shelters or seized by law enforcement across Utah.
After months working with UDOT's property experts, Dix said the Salt Lake City law firm of Jenson & Guelker alerted him to the availability of the new site, which property records list as being owned by Richard Barton, of Moody-Barton Properties LLC.
Barton's real estate agent, Robert Arnold, said the property was zoned for light manufacturing and would permit all the uses Dix intends, including future expansion.
"The owner would love for him to develop his whole business there if it works out," Arnold said. "I don't see any snags coming up. I think he's got a good little home there."
The new location surfaced after months of searching and sometimes-acrimonious talks with West Valley City officials.
"We're thrilled that he has been able to find a place where he can fulfill his dream," West Valley Assistant City Manager Paul Isaac said, "and we wish him all the best."
West Valley City officials had feared having to take control of Reptile Rescue's animals. Several spots considered along the way fell through over conflicts with city ordinances and Dix's future plans for turning his animal sanctuary into a reptile park open to the public.
"This is a great step forward for Mr. Dix, his animals and for everyone who has worked diligently to find a solution," UDOT spokeswoman Tania Mashburn said. "We'll continue to work closely with him until he is relocated."
Depending on how quickly fencing and a new furnace can be installed, Dix said he could start moving his outdoor kennels — holding coyotes, raccoons and water tortoises — by midweek and the extensive indoor cages and aquariums for temperature-sensitive species by the weekend.
"We'll make it happen,'' said Dix. "This whole experience has taken about 20 years off my life."