Troubling Article Re: Temple in Texas

[Calm]

It’s been almost two years since this thread was started.  I feel there must be another temple being built somewhere that is being protested.  I may go look for it, lol.

Edited May 9 by Calm

[morgan.deane]

On 5/8/2026 at 7:29 PM, Calm said:

It’s been almost two years since this thread was started.  I feel there must be another temple being built somewhere that is being protested.  I may go look for it, lol.

There's a temple in Lone Mountain in north west Vegas that gets the usual bigotry masequerading as zoning concerns. 

[Amulek]

On 5/8/2026 at 3:23 PM, Calm said:

I wonder how much this would cause problems later on with other cities. Otherwise I would say just lose the steeple as much as possible. 

I think that's probably a big consideration from the Church's perspective. 

Also, even if the Church were to acquiesce in this case, there isn't a way to do so without going through the Town Council again, and I don't see that happening / making anything better.

 

[Amulek]

On 5/8/2026 at 3:49 PM, bluebell said:

Wasn’t this the town that easily approved a protestant church’s steeple height with no problems in the same area of town? @Amulek, am I thinking of the wrong place?

Not a steeple: a bell tower.

About 20 years ago, the Methodist church submitted plans to construct a 154' bell tower which was preliminarily given the go ahead with little more than a few minutes worth of discussion and absolutely zero opposition. Of note, the Methodist church happens to be located on exactly the same street (just a block or two down) and is also adjacent to a residential neighborhood.

At the time, there were no protests nor any other sort of anxiety / fear over it "forever altering the established rural character" of their precious little town. 

Ultimately, the bell tower was never constructed. I believe it was a mixture of both budget constraints and leadership changes, but the stark difference in attitude was not lost on members of the Church.

 

[Amulek]

On 5/8/2026 at 3:05 PM, bluebell said:

This kind of comes across as emotional blackmail to me. The mayor is essentially saying, I know what you’re doing is completely legal, but we don’t like it and if you don’t do what we want then it’s going to look bad and we might hate you forever.

Also, it’s kind of hard to call for 'healing’ while simultaneously pressuring one side to surrender more ground after a negotiated settlement was already approved. Genuine compromise requires both sides to accept the final agreement, not continually revisiting it until the other side gives up.

If the mayor were genuinely concerned about this causing a "lasting divide in Fairview," perhaps he should focus his efforts on building respect around the outcome of the process. I'm aware that many folks didn't get everything they wanted, but asking the church to reopen negotiations after construction has already begun only risks prolonging division rather than healing it. That's the sort of thing I would expect from a politician - not a leader.

 

Edited May 11 by Amulek

[Kenngo1969]

I don't think this has been posted yet.  Town leaders are eliding the fact that they wish to renege on what was already agreed to.  I think they simply want to yank the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints around as though it is a bull with a ring in its nose.

https://www.dallasnews.com/news/faith/article/fairview-lds-temple-town-leaders-plead-22253478.php?utm_campaign=CMS Sharing Tools (Premium)&utm_source=share-by-email&utm_medium=email

[Peacefully]

On 5/8/2026 at 9:29 PM, Calm said:

It’s been almost two years since this thread was started.  I feel there must be another temple being built somewhere that is being protested.  I may go look for it, lol.

I just saw this: https://www.kget.com/news/local-news/hundreds-of-brighton-park-residents-protest-proposed-lds-temple-dimensions/

[bluebell]

6 hours ago, Kenngo1969 said:

I don't think this has been posted yet.  Town leaders are eliding the fact that they wish to renege on what was already agreed to.  I think they simply want to yank the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints around as though it is a bull with a ring in its nose.

https://www.dallasnews.com/news/faith/article/fairview-lds-temple-town-leaders-plead-22253478.php?utm_campaign=CMS Sharing Tools (Premium)&utm_source=share-by-email&utm_medium=email

It’s behind a paywall for me. 

[Calm]

6 hours ago, bluebell said:

It’s behind a paywall for me. 

Clicking the reader option shows this

 

Quote

 

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — Brighton Park neighborhood residents gave the city of Bakersfield hundreds of letters asking to bring the height and brightness down of a proposed 11-story-tall Church of Latter-day Saints temple in the neighborhood’s backyard.

A two-year battle between the Church of Latter-day Saints and a retirement community continues.

“We are delivering 408 signed letters from the community stating two things. Yes, we would love to have the temple to the south of our community. However, the height and the bright — it’s just so far out of code,” said Greg Brott, the president of the Brighton Park ad hoc committee.

The proposed temple has an 11-story spire that would be seen by the Brighton Park residents. At night, the temple will also be lit by flood lights, which residents are concerned will be too bright.

“And it’ll be the second highest building in Bakersfield,” said Brott.

An old City Code banning buildings over 60 ft was made after the 1952 earthquake that destroyed much of the town.

“We supported the city in performing an extensive environmental study,” said Merrill Dibble, the stake president of LDS Bakersfield.

Regarding the city’s report on height and lighting of the temple, Dibble said, “We agree with the city in the report that there will be no negative impacts from those two things.”

Right now, the current lot sits vacant on Stockdale Highway and Jewetta Avenue. Dead grass and leaves is all there is now.

Dibble said in regards to bringing the height down: “The steeple will actually be about 260 feet from the property line that the neighbors are concerned about so it’ll be a significant setback from the neighborhood.”

Dibble says over 10,000 Bakersfield residents are LDS members, and this church is important because currently, all members have to go to a Los Angeles temple.

“This is just a small section of folks that we have that say please, build it, but build it within reason,” said Brott.

Comments from residents are going to be heard at a public comment hearing with the city planning commission where a full environmental impact report will be seen.

 

 

[Kenngo1969]

 

Quote

 

Fairview leaders again plead with Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for smaller temple

More than a year after the permit was approved and as construction on the temple is underway, Fairview leaders are once again asking for a shorter steeple.

Fairview leaders are again asking the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to reconsider the height of the 120-foot-tall temple it’s building in the Collin County town, over a year after the Town Council granted the church a permit for the disputed steeple.

 

Ken Sez:  If the Town Council erred in granting the permit, that's not on the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

 

 

 

The town and church fell into bitter disagreement over the temple’s size, which in 2024 was originally planned to rise more than 170 feet, higher than any other structure in Fairview. After a denied permit, threats of a lawsuit, mediation, an approved permit and a lawsuit from residents, construction began on the temple in February.

 

Ken Sez:  Again, if the Town Council erred in granting the permit, that's not on the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

 

In a May 1 letter to church leaders, Mayor John Hubbard wrote there remains “a consistent concern” about the height and scale of the temple and whether it will fit “harmoniously within the character of Fairview” and asked the church to volunteer to lower the steeple.

Leaders said they have seen residents lose trust in the Town Council over the approved permit and lingering tension between residents who oppose the temple’s height and those who believe it’s a right.

Ken Sez: Protestant megachurches don't seem to have any problem "fit[ting] 'harmoniously within the character of Fairview."  Curious, that.  If I were a suspicious sort, I might think that something else is in play here.

 

“Neighbors … are still hurting,” council member Patrick Sheehan said in an interview with The Dallas Morning News editorial board Monday. “Our town is hurting, and we're trying to see if there's any way to heal it.”

Ken Sez: As much as I don't want to see anybody hurt, and, certainly, I want to see anyone who is hurt heal, I have to wonder whether this isn't, largely, a self-inflicted wound.

The church and town “spent considerable time” on a design that “addressed the concerns of all parties,” wrote church spokesperson Melissa McKneely in a statement. A mediation process resulted in a significant size reduction, she said, which was approved and is now under construction.

Ken Sez: One might be led to wonder, if dissatisfaction still exists even after it seems that considerable concessions were made by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, whether, again, something else might be in play here.

“Making changes to the project at this stage would create substantial delays,” she said. “The Fairview temple is an important part of meeting the religious needs of Latter-day Saints throughout north Texas.” 

Ken Sez:  One might be led to wonder if such delays aren't exactly what certain parties want.  If the project can be delayed long enough, perhaps, eventually, it will be scrapped altogether.

For several years, the issue has divided neighbors in the town of about 11,000 residents 30 miles north of Dallas, between McKinney and Allen. Some residents have said the towering steeple is out of place in Fairview, which claims to maintain a more rural identity.

Ken Sez: You mean, "towering steeples [that aren't on megachurches] are out of place in Fairview," AmIRight?

Church members have said they have a religious right to build their temples tall, even if temples elsewhere are built shorter. In Yorba Linda, Calif., the LDS church has constructed a temple with a steeple that is 70 feet tall.

“In that context, it is reasonable to ask whether a similar approach could be considered for Fairview,” Hubbard wrote. The mayor said he has not received a response to his letter, which he said was sent to over a dozen church leaders earlier this month.

Ken Sez: Different location, more than likely different planning and zoning rules, and so on and so forth.  That was there, this is here, and there are more factors in play here than simply "this is what the Church wants to do."

 

 

In an interview with The News’ editorial board, town leaders said the permit that allowed a 120-foot-tall steeple was an agreement made by a previous Town Council who feared legal retribution that could financially harm Fairview. Some also noted the church is under new leadership that might reconsider the temple’s height. 

Ken Sez: I think the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints needs to exercise great care in any concessions it makes, particularly where, as here, it is simply proceeding as agreed upon previously between (or among) the parties.

The town is not looking to reopen a legal matter, and leaders maintain the church has every right to build the structure at 120 feet.  “Just because you have the right to do it, it's not the right thing to do,” Hubbard said.

Ken Sez: Unless you're a Protestant megachurch, AmIRight?

The Fairview temple is one of three temples under construction in Texas and broke ground in a private ceremony earlier this year. Construction will take around three years, according to church officials.

Volunteering to reduce the steeple height would create a “powerful symbol of collaboration, goodwill and a shared commitment to our community,” he wrote in his plea.

Ken Sez: Funny how the mayor seems to thing that that "collaboration, goodwill, and shared commitment to our community" is only a one-way street.

 

 

Lilly Kersh

Collin County Reporter

Lilly Kersh is a local government accountability reporter at The Dallas Morning News covering Collin County with a focus on McKinney and Plano. She graduated in 2024 from the University of Georgia with a degree in journalism and was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia.

 

I'm disinclined to defend everything I have interjected here.  My foregoing comments were necessary to enable me to post [almost] all of the story.  (Reposting something wholesale ist verboten.  Reposting it with commentary is Fair Use (see 17 U.S.C. § 107)).

 

 

Edited May 19 by Kenngo1969

[Kenngo1969]

8 minutes ago, Calm said:

Clicking the reader option shows this ... 

Different source, different story.  

[Calm]

1 minute ago, Kenngo1969 said:

Different source, different story.  

You lost me, Ken. (Very easy to do these days.)

[Kenngo1969]

11 minutes ago, Calm said:

Clicking the reader option shows this

 

 

 

3 minutes ago, Kenngo1969 said:

Different source, different story.  

 

1 minute ago, Calm said:

You lost me, Ken. (Very easy to do these days.)

My story is from the Dallas Morning Snooze, regarding the Fairview Temple.   

[Calm]

I see what happened, clicked peacefully’s link while thinking it was bluebell’s post.

But it does often work…using reader option will sometimes allow you to read an article, such as the Trib’s.  I thought it was a glitch and felt guilty originally, but it’s been many years now, so it must be an intentional choice to leave that option, so I am going to use it.

Edited May 18 by Calm

[bluebell]

8 hours ago, Calm said:

Clicking the reader option shows this

 

 

I think that was Peaceful’s article?  I can’t see the one Ken linked to (or are they the same one?)

[Kenngo1969]

I think this is an insightful, valuable contribution to the discussion.  I only agree with it 1000%, however.  

https://latterdaysaintmag.com/an-open-letter-to-the-mayor-of-fairview-texas/

[bluebell]

https://www.deseret.com/faith/2026/06/15/fairview-texas-temple-campaign-reduce-steeple-height-hubbard/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=dn-social&utm_campaign=facebookpage&utm_content=deseretnews&fbclid=IwY2xjawSfBdpleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFuMmFtNmFvWUZtaklvVjZ2c3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHgKaPZPqky7kPmBcFadbg3RREFXbgY43ZSRLCcR4vS6x0OMg5M4G2q-y6WNI_aem_2g-tnOIAIC_7Rgy1gdT_Yw

Quote

 

A new mayor and new town council launched a campaign Monday to pressure leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to agree to lower the height of the temple’s steeple — again.

The Council voted 5-2 in April 2025 to approve a 120-foot steeple and spire for the temple, which North Texas Latter-day Saints say is desperately needed in the region.

“Some people think the issue was resolved when the Town Council approved the temple permit last year. It wasn’t,” Fairview Mayor John Hubbard said Monday at a news conference at town hall.

...

Still, Fairview resident Pamela Sailor said she and her neighbors value their flat, beautiful country surroundings.

“Reach out. Take our hand,” another Fairview resident, Jack Desimone, said in a message to Latter-day Saints at the press conference. “Show us that you want to be a good neighbor in our community because that’s the kind of people we are here, and that’s the kind of people that we look forward to accepting in the future.”

Sandra Ahlin joined others in worrying about ongoing division over the steeple height.

“I am curious if (church leaders) have really considered that once they have built the temple here — and if they build it to all the specifications that they want to build it to — and then they leave and there are members that are left here ... well, I hope not, but maybe they will feel the fallout of that decision.”

...

 

That kind of seems like a threat.

[Calm]

3 hours ago, bluebell said:

https://www.deseret.com/faith/2026/06/15/fairview-texas-temple-campaign-reduce-steeple-height-hubbard/?

That kind of seems like a threat.

It sounds like a passive aggressive threat.  
 

My preference would be that the Church find a city in the area that wants it, move over there and then encourages its members in the area to go all out in volunteering as well as humanitarian projects sponsored by the Church, etc., temple visitors spend significant money there, etc and in the end the town that accepted the temple as is grows better and more beautiful and gets a better reputation for quality living.  
 

Just a dream, but a good one. 

Edited June 17 by Calm

[Kenngo1969]

4 hours ago, Calm said:

It sounds like a passive aggressive threat.  
 

My preference would be that the Church find a city in the area that wants it, move over there and then encourages its members in the area to go all out in volunteering as well as humanitarian projects sponsored by the Church, etc., temple visitors spend significant money there, etc and in the end the town that accepted the temple as is grows better and more beautiful and gets a better reputation for quality living.  
 

Just a dream, but a good one. 

Already, construction has started.  The horse has left the barn, and is roaming the pasture.  

[Navidad]

Is there a religious or doctrinal importance to the steeple? Will Moroni be on top? Just curious.

[webbles]

4 hours ago, Navidad said:

Is there a religious or doctrinal importance to the steeple? Will Moroni be on top? Just curious.

The renderings do not show Moroni on top.

As for religious or doctrinal importance, I would say it is only important in the sense that it draws your eyes to heaven.

I think the focus on saying it is "religiously important" is related to the Boston Temple lawsuit.  There was a fight over the steeple there and the temple was built without a steeple while the lawsuit continued.  In the end, the Massachussets Supreme Court ruled in favor of the church.  The ruling was basically about how the courts are not supposed to determine if a steeple really is important to a religious group or not.  See https://www.thechurchnews.com/2001/5/19/23244290/high-court-rules-in-favor-of-steeple-for-boston-temple/ for some details, including quotes from the ruling.

So, I think the church has just started to always say it so that if it ever goes to court, they can continue making that argument.

[Calm]

7 hours ago, Kenngo1969 said:

Already, construction has started.  The horse has left the barn, and is roaming the pasture.  

I thought they were just prepping the property. 

[Kenngo1969]

1 hour ago, Calm said:

I thought they were just prepping the property. 

I'm not sure how far along they are in the process, but I agree with  @webbles's assessment (though I will hasten to add that that these are my words and not his) that it appears town officials would be perfectly happy to see the plans of the Church of Jesus Christ for a Temple in Fairview to suffer [the equivalent of] "death by a thousand paper cuts."

P.S.: Any changes now would need to be approved anew by Fairview's Town Council and/or its Planning and Zoning Board ...  Town officials are suffering from "buyer's remorse" over their approval of plans after the Church agreed to a height reduction.  Officials don't want further concessions from the Church as much as they want to tie the process up endlessly in endless layers of red tape.

 

Edited June 17 by Kenngo1969

[webbles]

2 hours ago, Calm said:

I thought they were just prepping the property. 

https://churchofjesuschristtemples.org/fairview-texas-temple/photographs/ has a photograph of April 24 showing a decent amount of ground preparation.  They've already started to put in pipes into the ground.  I can't find a more recent picture.

[webbles]

While reading the articles, I came across https://fairviewspeaks.com/.  It is an official site from the mayor who is asking for all residents to send a letter to the church headquarters.  It also has a countup clock from the day he sent his letter to headquarters and it is counting up to indicate he has not yet received a letter from First Presidency or Quorum of 12 Apostles.  Pretty nice website.  Apparently the counter will continue until he gets a response.