After working together in nonbinding mediation over the size of a proposed temple, leaders of a Texas city and representatives of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have reached a tentative agreement to build a smaller temple .
If approved during a series of public meetings beginning next week, the McKinney Texas Temple would now be a one-story building of approximately 30,000 square feet with a main height of 45 feet and a tower height of 100 feet.
Original plans called for a two-story temple of 41,000 square meters with a main height of 20 meters and a tower height of 50 meters.
The Fairview City Council unanimously denied a conditional use permit for the temple after a four-hour meeting on August 6. Fairview and McKinney are adjacent suburbs within the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex and the proposed temple site is in Fairview.
Representatives of cities and churches recently began non-binding mediation talks and reached a settlement on Monday.
The church operates 200 temples around the world, including seven in Texas.
What the Church of Jesus Christ said about the settlement
The Church of Jesus Christ released a statement regarding the settlement:
“Temples are sacred places for Latter-day Saints and are considered a house of the Lord. We are grateful that Fairview city officials were willing to discuss community concerns with church representatives and that we were able to reach an agreement to move forward. There is now a new proposal that represents a mutually agreed upon compromise between the church and the city and has the support of the mayor and city council. This proposal includes a smaller one-storey temple of approximately 30,000 square meters and a tower height of 30 meters. This plan will then be presented for consideration at public hearings by the Fairview City Council. The Church looks forward to participating in this public process and presenting this new plan for a temple on the Church grounds in Fairview.”
Letter from the Mayor of Fairview
Fairview Mayor Henry Lessner sent a letter to residents Wednesday morning about what he called an initial compromise.
“On Monday, our City Council unanimously agreed to approve the non-binding settlement agreement that would allow the church to submit a new proposal in accordance with the settlement agreement, which would be presented to the Planning and Zoning Commission and then put to the consideration would be returned to the council. ” he wrote.
Lessner stated that the City Council will review the settlement agreement with residents in a workshop during its regular meeting on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.
“We appreciate the efforts of all involved to work together in good faith to attempt to reach a compromise solution that will protect the character of the city and zoning regulations while allowing the church to build the temple on the chosen site” , he said. wrote.
