FAIRVIEW, Texas — Neighbors in the town of Fairview are concerned about the size of its newest incoming resident: a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Temple.
Residents who spoke with WFAA are concerned the building and its projected spire will far exceed the standards currently set by the city.
"We knew it was going to be a church, but had no idea to what extent," said resident Natalie Meehan.
Resident Joel Schuh got a letter in March about the projected new temple and attended an informational meeting. Their home sits just behind the property in question. He tells WFAA that details of the project were very limited at the meeting.
"I'm having a hard time believing what was presented in the letter is going to occur," said Schuh.
It's been dubbed the McKinney Texas Temple, even though the property sits in Fairview, and it will be a 44,0000 square-foot multi-story building on the 8-acre site along Stacy Road near the current Church of Jesus Christ. The project was initially announced in December 2023 and before that was projected to be built in Prosper.
"In addition to the McKinney Texas Temple, the Lone Star State has seven other houses of the Lord in operation, under construction, or announced. These are the Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, Lubbock, San Antonio, and the McAllen Texas temples," read a statement from the Church's press release.
Residents like Schuh and Meehan have come to learn specifics about the project because the Church of Jesus Christ has put in an application for a conditional use permit. The eight-acre property in question is currently zoned residential. Zoning changes are quite common and likely to be approved by the town. However, approval could be contingent on building measurables aligning with the town's standards. The neighbors, and confirmed by town Mayor Henry Lessner, tell WFAA the spire for the temple is projected to be 173 feet tall and the building is projected to have a roof-line of 65 feet.
"One-hundred-seventy-three feet, which would be the tallest structure in Fairview, would not be reasonable or prudent," said Schuh. "I don't think it's conducive to a residential neighborhood from an aesthetics standpoint," he said.
Neighbors worry the town will approve variances that exceed standards and put the nearby neighborhoods in the 'shadow' of the temple. If the spire is set to be 173 feet, that is an estimated sixteen stories high.
"It's as tall as one of our water towers," said Fairview Mayor Henry Lessner.
Lessner tells WFAA the town has received more than 1,100 emails on the topic. Lessner says the town's only job is to be fair.
"Let's see what Planning and Zoning does. Let's see what the LDS folks do and how does that all work together," he said.
People who move to Fairview know exactly what they're getting: big housing lots, good schools and a relatively small-town feel.
Natalie Meehan says a petition has gone around the Fairview neighborhoods. She says this protest to the project has nothing to do with religion. She tells WFAA her family are members of the Church of Jesus Christ.
"We're just asking that they scale back," said Meehan.
According to the Church's press release, "The primary purpose of temples is for faithful members of the Church of Jesus Christ to participate in sacred ceremonies, such as marriages, which unite families forever, and proxy baptisms on behalf of deceased ancestors who did not have the opportunity to be baptized while living."
Along with the height concerns neighbors are worried about the lighting surrounding the temple. Lessner tells WFAA the Church has already agreed to make concessions on that front because of the town's dark sky ordinance which prohibits late night light pollution.
WFAA reached out to the Church for comment but was told outside of the original press release any further comment would come from an informational meeting set for May 2. When asked the Church could not confirm any measurements at this time.
Planning and Zoning will first hear the Church's proposal in early May and the City Council could hear the proposal in June.