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

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.

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.

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.

“Neighbors … are still hurting,” council member 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.”

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.

“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.”

Church leaders say a new temple is needed to accommodate a large congregation in the region. There is currently one temple operating in Dallas that struggles to meet demand, leaders said, and another under construction near Fort Worth.

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.

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.

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.  

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.

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.

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.