FAIRVIEW, Texas — The town council of Fairview late Tuesday evening, after a four-hour meeting, decided unanimously to deny the Church of Jesus Christ Latter Day Saints' proposal to build the 45,000 square foot temple at 65 feet high with a 173-foot spire.
The church will still have the option to re-submit an application for a conditional-use permit.
Hundreds of people packed into the council meeting Tuesday night as town officials heard public comment about whether or not to approve a conditional-use permit for the Church of Jesus Christ Latter Day Saints to construct the large temple.
Most of the debate centered around the size of the temple and its spire. At the last June 4 meeting, close to 2,000 church members showed up and so did hundreds of Fairview residents in opposition. At that meeting, the town decided to postpone the decision.
The Church of Jesus Christ Latter Day Saints wants to build a 45,000-square-foot temple building that is 65 feet high with a 173-foot high spire. Mayor Henry Lessner, of Fairview, told WFAA that town ordinance only allows for a 35-foot high building on that property because it sits within a residential district.
"It is literally twice the size of this [city hall]," said Mayor Lessner. "[This] is a very large building being put into a residential area of our town. This is not about anything but a zoning issue."
The church said at the June 4 meeting it made a concession and had proposed a spire height of 158 feet, 15 feet lower than initially proposed.
"We met with town leadership and offered concessions last month. They declined our offer and did not offer anything in exchange," said Church of Jesus Christ Latter Day Saints spokeswoman Melissa McKneely.
The church told WFAA the temple is an answer to their explosive growth. Spokeswoman Melissa McKneely said membership in the DFW area has quadrupled since the 80s.
"Our [Dallas] temple is over capacity. We need additional temples to serve our local membership," said McKneely.
Residents like Marlo Ballard, who is part of the Fairview United group, said the building and spire size are counter to the "country feeling." She and her husband built their home in 2003 and it is about a block away from the temple property. Ballard said the temple will be in direct line of the sight from their backyard.
"Imagine a 16-story house being built next to your house? It will alter forever our rural character," Ballard said.
She, like many others WFAA heard at Tuesday's meeting, want the church to have its temple, just not at that size. The church told WFAA the numbered height of the spire has no meaning but the spire itself does.
"High ceilings, high spires, they help people look upwards and heavenwards; they help aspire to something heavenly. It's the same for us," said McKneely.
Tuesday's meeting had more than 200 speakers set to speak. The town said it had to use a ticket system for entrance into the meeting and that closed up in under two minutes. Because of the high number of speakers, the mayor told WFAA that each speaker would be limited to two minutes compared to the five minutes normally allotted.
Mayor Lessner told WFAA earlier in the day Tuesday that if every speaker used up all their allotted time the meeting would take fifteen hours.
Residents brought up issues like aesthetic, traffic, lighting, and noise. Some are concerned that church functions could result in gridlock along Stacy Road.
The church maintains that their parishioners worship in shifts, and the maximum number of people at the temple over one week would be 2,000 people and around 200 people at any one time.
The town council made it clear on several occasions that a 173-foot spire would not be consistent with the town's aesthetic and would not be approved. The town did offer an alternative spire height which is as tall as its current chapel which also sits on the property.
"We've kind of said 68 feet [high] is where we're willing to go," said Lessner.
Before the vote, WFAA asked McKneely what would be the church's next course of action if the town denied their conditional-use permit application to build the temple. She responded, "At this point, we are keeping our options open."
In wake of the vote, a church spokesperson sent WFAA the following statement:
“We are disappointed with tonight’s vote by the Fairview City Council and express gratitude for the tireless efforts of those who worked to provide correct and positive information to the community about the temple project. The Church has met all the requirements required by the city to build a temple which will provide a place of peace and beauty for the community. The council’s decision to vote against the temple rests solely on its discretionary view of the building’s aesthetics. Tonight’s vote is part of an ongoing process. Seeking building approval which will be continued as part of the Church’s religious freedom efforts.”
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