The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints wants special approval to build McKinney Texas Temple, a 43,200 square-foot building with an almost 174-foot spire in Fairview.
The proposal faces much resistance. Residents voiced opposition to the temple while the town’s Planning and Zoning committee recommended that the Town Council reject the church’s proposal.
Here’s what we know about the ongoing controversy.
Where is Fairview?
Fairview is a town in Collin County that is about a 35 minute drive north of downtown Dallas. The town, whose motto is “Keeping It Country,” has a population of just over 10,000 people, according to its website.
What is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints?
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a sect of Christianity founded in the 19th century by Joseph Smith, who later became the church’s first president. Church members believe in the teachings found in both the Bible and the Book of Mormon.
Members of the church believe the Book of Mormon was first authored by an Israelite named Nephi who traveled to the Americas in 600 B.C.E. with his family, according to the church’s website. The faith says the book was passed down from author to author through many generations until it was written on sheets of metal and buried.
In 1823, an angel told Smith where the plates were buried, according to the church. Smith translated these writings into English and, in 1830, published the Book of Mormon.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has more than 385,000 members in about 750 congregations in Texas, according to its website.
The church has about 6.8 million members across the U.S. in about 14,500 congregations. Salt Lake City serves as its world headquarters.
What is the significance of a temple for church members?
Church members consider temples to be the most sacred places of worship where they take part in sacred ceremonies, according to the church’s website. These are different than meetinghouses, otherwise known as chapels. Meetinghouses host weekly worship services and weekday activities, such as youth groups, socials, service projects and sporting events.
Texas has nine temples in operation, under construction or announced, including one in Dallas and one in Fort Worth, according to the church website.
Why are Fairview residents upset with the temple plans?
Many Fairview residents don’t like the proposed height and size of the temple.
The church wants to build the temple in a lot next to an existing meetinghouse in the town. This lot falls under the town’s residential-area zoning restrictions that state buildings can have a maximum height of 35 feet, according to a memorandum sent by church officials to the Planning and Zoning Committee.
If constructed, the temple would be the tallest building in town.
Henry Lessner, the mayor of the town, said he also takes issue with the size of the building. The proposed temple will be 43,200 square feet, which he said is almost double the size of the 22,000-square-foot Town Hall.
Fairview also has a dark sky ordinance that regulates outdoor lighting. The goal of this ordinance is to “ensure adequate lighting only where it is needed in order to reduce spillover light between properties, increase safety for travelers and increase aesthetic value for our town.”
Residents expressed concern over the nighttime lighting of the temple. However, the church’s fact sheet about the McKinney Texas Temple states the temple engineers and architects have complied with the town’s lighting ordinances.
Why does the church want to build the temple with these dimensions?
Melissa McKneely, a spokesperson for the church, said the temple’s dimensions reflect the need to accommodate the growing church population.
The temple will serve 16,000 members from Fairview and the surrounding areas, including McKinney, Allen, Frisco, Prosper and Sherman, according to church officials. If members of the church living in North Texas want to visit the nearest temple, they have to travel to the one in Dallas. A temple in Fort Worth is under construction.
McKneely and Art Rascon, an area authority for the church, said there are about 200 members of the church living in Fairview.
The spire’s height is religiously important, church officials say.
“Across denominations, a steeple’s upward reach symbolizes the aspiration to connect with God and the heavens — and it represents spiritual ascent and the desire for communion with the divine,” the church’s website says. “It visualizes a beacon of light and hope.”
Church officials have also noted other religious buildings in the town have been permitted to exceed the 35-foot limit on a case-by-case basis, such as Faith Church Anglican, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Chapel, Chase Oaks Church and Creekwood United Methodist Church.
Church officials also believe The Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act supports the church’s right to build the temple in the selected location with its current design. RLUIPA protects individuals, houses of worship, and other religious institutions from discrimination in zoning and landmarking laws, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
However, Lessner said he believes Fairview is in a good position legally in their opposition to the temple.
Is the issue going to be resolved?
The Town Council was initially supposed to decide if they would grant the church special approval to build the temple in a June meeting. However, the council decided to postpone the decision until Aug. 6 to give church officials more time to evaluate the design.
Since then, church and town officials have met to discuss a potential redesign, though the two groups could not come to an agreement. During a meeting last week, the church officials said they offered to change the name of the temple and reduce the spire’s height by about 15 feet. Fairview representatives said while they appreciate the offer, their concerns about height are still not addressed by the 15-foot reduction.
In a June interview with The Dallas Morning News, Lessner said the town will allow the temple to be built with a maximum ceiling height of 42 feet and a spire height of 68 feet. These measurements coincide with the maximum building and feature heights of other religious buildings in Fairview’s residential areas. The Chase Oaks Church building is 42 feet, and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ meetinghouse has a 68-foot spire. Both buildings received special approval to exceed the 35-foot zoning limit.
The church’s release also said the town attorney refused to allow church representatives to meet with other town council members to discuss their concerns. The release from Fairview representatives said the town attorney advised the church’s lawyers not to meet with council members before the public meeting scheduled for Aug. 6 because “it is important that all the requirements of the Texas Open Meetings Act and the Town’s process for review of pending zoning applications be followed.”
As a result of the controversy, both the church and residents of Fairview have released their own websites with information about the temple and how it will affect the town’s residents.
As of Wednesday morning, both websites show the request for special approval will still be discussed at the Aug. 6 meeting.
