Planning commission OKs Fairview temple plan amid community divide

A year-long battle saw some progress on Thursday night at Fairview town hall, where community members packed in for a special meeting on a proposed temple for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

This comes after a long dispute between the town and the church, which mostly has to do with a controversial steeple and other designs.

The proposal is for what's being called the church's "McKinney Texas Temple” on a parcel of land on Stacey Road in Fairview, a town of about 10,000 people near Allen in Collin County.

The original plan included a 174-foot spire, which is 11 stories. That got town members and city leaders upset, who say that it does not fit with the landscape of Fairview.

“How can our leaders continue to allow this to happen in our residential zones? This should have every homeowner concerned,” said Fairview resident Helen Dunham.

In August last year, the town rejected the church's original application for a conditional use permit to build a temple after complaints that it was too tall and big.

The city and the church reached a non-binding agreement for a smaller temple during mediation in November. The church then submitted a new application last month.

In Thursday night's Planning and Zoning Commission meeting, we learned the church's spire plan was reduced to 120 feet.

But even with those concessions, the commission pushed for more.

They unanimously approved the project — but only under conditions that the spire be trimmed further to just over 68 feet, which falls within the current zoning law. The lighting around the steeple also cannot exceed brightness restrictions.

Town leaders also asked that the temple’s name reflect its location in Fairview, not McKinney.

"Many have asked, why don't you follow the law? My response to that is that we are. Everything that we have done up to and including tonight shows our commitment to follow the law," said Dan Trythall, a lay leader of the local LDS congregation in Fairview, during public comment. "With the growing membership of our church in North Texas, we need another temple to allow our members to worship without being substantially burdened," said Trythall. "And in my opinion, we need a temple considerably larger than the one that this recent redesign affords."

Supporters and opponents packed into the very small town chambers on Thursday, some waiting as long as five hours in the rain just to get one of the 50 seats inside.

Numerous people signed up to speak during public comment. Some wore blue to show support, while others wore green to oppose the plan.

"A temple can be beautiful and completely functional and still respect Fairview's zoning,” said Fairview resident Marla Ballard.

The matter now heads to the Town Council this Tuesday, when council members could accept, modify, or reject those added conditions.

A decision would put a year of legal tension and community debate to rest, or it could potentially reignite it.

Church officials said in last night's meeting that they hope to avoid legal action but reserve the right to sue to protect their religious freedom.

"I feel pretty good about the compromise. We want them to have a temple, it was never about them not building a temple here. It just has to fit within our zoning ordinances and laws. This is what this was all about,” said Dunham.

A final vote by the Town Council is expected Tuesday evening, April 29.