Fairview agrees to mediation over proposed LDS Temple
FAIRVIEW — The town of Fairview in Collin County has agreed to a non-binding mediation in its dispute with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints over plans to build a large temple in a residential neighborhood. The effort aims to avoid litigation that could be costly for the town.
Fairview Mayor Henry Lessner, standing outside the town hall, discussed the issue that has consumed him for three months. The church, currently located on Stacy Road, seeks to build a new 43,000-square-foot temple with a height of 65 feet and a spire exceeding 150 feet.
"We don't like to be crosswise with a church of any kind," Lessner said. "We'd love to see things happen, but we have a really large issue in our town. They're trying to set aside our zoning ordinances."
In a letter to residents, Lessner announced that the town has scheduled a mediation next week with attorneys for the church.
"We hope to negotiate with the LDS Church to either scale down the current plans to fit in the neighborhood or move the temple to a location zoned for commercial use," the letter stated.
Lessner described church leaders as bullies who think they are above the law.
"One of the things I always like to do with the LDS folks, especially those from Salt Lake City who aren't familiar with the area, is take them up to our fourth floor and have them look out over our town during the daytime when you see nothing but trees," he said.
In August, the town denied a building permit to the church.
Jenn Stice, a communication specialist for the McKinney Texas Temple, said in a statement, "The Church looks forward to meeting with the town representatives and working with them on ways to meet the community's concerns while at the same time protecting the Church's religious liberty rights."
The church has an online petition with 14,000 signatures supporting the new temple, which would provide more space for its growing membership.
The mayor said the town has started a legal fund in case mediation fails and the dispute over what would be Fairview's tallest building goes to court.
