After more than a year of discussions and disputes, the Fairview Town Council has approved construction of a new temple for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The LDS Church has approximately 390,000 members in Texas, and leaders have said the new building is essential to accommodate a growing congregation.
"We have outgrown our current temple," spokesperson Melissa McKneely told the council ahead of Tuesday night's vote.
The temple will be built on an 8.2-acre site adjacent to a meetinghouse on East Stacy Road in Fairview, south of McKinney.
The decision follows pushback from regulators and community members, who took issue with the temple's design and name.
The biggest sticking point was the church's spire, which was initially pitched to be 174 feet — or 11 stories — tall. Community members expressed concerns that the giant spire would clash with Fairview's "small town character." The Planning and Zoning Commission recommended limiting the spire's height to 68 feet, but the town council approved a 120-foot spire after the church threatened to pursue legal action if their plans were denied.
Stephen Drye, a Fairview resident and member of the LDS Church, told reporters after the meeting he's relieved the dispute is over.
"It would have been devastating had it gone any further," he said. "I hate the idea of a church having to sue somebody but at some point, you have to stand your ground."
Fairview Mayor Henry Lessner said the cost of that potential litigation influenced Tuesday's town council vote.
"It hurts my heart to do what I did," Lessner said. "But we had to do it."
Another issue was the temple's name. Initially announced in October 2022 as the Prosper, Texas Temple, the following year the project changed the name to the McKinney, Texas Temple. Then the First Presidency of the LDS Church announced the final name change April 28 as the Fairview Texas Temple, aligning with its actual location in Fairview, Texas.
Once built, this will be the eighth LDS temple built in Texas and the third in North Texas, according to the church.
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