The Fairview Town Council will hold a workshop session Tuesday before a final decision on whether the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints can build a controversial new religious temple.
The LDS temple is a step closer to construction after a mediation agreement with the town. Fairview denied the Church’s original permit after residents raised concerns about its size — the church initially proposed a 65-foot building with a 174-foot spire over 43,000 square feet.
After mediation, Fairview and the Church agreed to build a smaller temple. The new plan proposes a one-story, 35-foot-tall building with a 120-foot tower in the middle of the property. The temple will stretch over 30,000 square feet.
Church leadership praised the deal and thanked the town.
“Temples are sacred and holy places for Latter-day Saints and are considered to be a house of the Lord. We are grateful that town officials from Fairview were willing to discuss the concerns of the community with Church representatives and we were able to reach an agreement to move forward,” the statement read. “A new proposal is now in place that represents a mutually agreed compromise between the Church and the town and has the support of the mayor and the council…The Church looks forward to participating in this public process and presenting this new plan for a temple on the Church’s property in Fairview.”
The agreement cannot be finalized until The Church submits a new permit application to the Planning and Zoning Board.
The Church originally announced its plan to build the temple in Prosper during its General Conference meeting on Oct. 2, 2022. By December, its location was moved to Fairview where it became known as the McKinney, TX Temple.
But when Church leadership presented its plans during a May 9, 2023 Planning and Zoning meeting, their application was denied by a vote of 6-1.
During two open house meetings hosted by the Church, they said the larger temple was meant to accommodate its growing population.
Fairview Council granted a continuance on Aug. 6 allowing time to revise its plans.
More than 70 people spoke during the meeting which highlighted issues of zoning laws, religious freedom and the town’s identity. Many speakers wore shirts reading, “Fairview United: Keeping it Country.” Those opposed maintained the temple’s size wouldn’t suit the residential neighborhood.
During that Aug. 6 meeting, the town council ultimately opposed the revised plans 7-0.
In a letter sent to the Fairview town council, lawyers for the Church cited the Texas Religious Freedom Restoration Act and the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act.
”These laws, which protect religious freedom for all, require the Council to approve the Church’s application,” the letter read in part. “Yet the Council appears poised to ignore them. It has refused the Church’s repeated requests for an explanation of the Council’s position regarding these laws.”
They also noted religious organizations are allowed to request zoning height exceptions for houses of worship.
In a community impact report, the Church said the McKinney Temple is one of three other existing or proposed houses of worship in the community symbolizing their shared ideas of inclusion and welcoming all religious faiths.
Church and town leadership met for a mediation session last week, presided over by former U.S. Magistrate Jeff Kaplan. Fairview’s Mayor Henry Lessner, Fairview’s Mayor Pro Tem John Hubbard and the town’s attorney and manager represented the town’s interests.
Church leadership provided updated plans for the building’s construction including a lighting analysis, traffic study, drainage study, environmental impact memo and site plan.
The workshop is an agenda item on Tuesday’s town council meeting, which begins at 6 p.m.
