Leaders of a Texas town will begin to hold expedited meetings Thursday to decide whether they will approve the concessions they negotiated for construction of a smaller temple by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
“The church is grateful the town is acting quickly on its new application,” stated a response on an FAQ page posted by the Church of Jesus Christ. “If approved, the church will schedule a groundbreaking and move forward as quickly as possible with construction.”
The Fairview Planning Commission will hold a public hearing on the temple application on Thursday at 7 p.m. CDT. The commission typically meets on the second Thursday of the month. The meeting can be viewed online.
The Town Council will hold a special public hearing on the temple at 7 p.m. CDT on Tuesday, according to a news release issued by the town. That meeting also will be livestreamed.
The town rejected the church’s original application for a conditional use permit to build a temple in August 2024 after complaints that it would be too tall and too big.
The sides reached a non-binding agreement for a smaller temple during mediation in November and the church submitted a new application based on that agreement last month.
The church has a single congregation in Fairview, six congregations in neighboring McKinney to the north and eight congregations in Allen to the south.
The church’s original plans called for four instruction rooms in a two-story temple with 45,375 square feet. Opponents complained about the proposed height of the steeple, which was to rise 173 feet, 8 inches above the ground.
The settlement between the church and town allows for two instruction rooms in a single-story temple with 30,742 square feet. The temple’s roof height would be 32 feet, 11 inches. The parapet height at the base of the steeple would be 44 feet, 7 inches, and the steeple would rise 120 feet above the ground.
A design rendering shows the new proposed heights for various parts of the planned McKinney Texas Temple that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has applied to build in Fairview, Texas. The town rejected plans for a taller temple. | Fairview Town Planning and Zoning Commission agenda
The church recently stated that it would take 32-36 months to construct the temple once the town council approves a conditional use permit.
Fairview has attached the church’s application and its planning manager’s memo to the agenda for Thursday’s meeting. They are available here.
An aerial view of Church Row in Fairview, Texas. The dotted area is the proposed location of the McKinney Texas Temple. To its left is the Latter-day Saint meetinghouse and the Sloan Creek Campus of the Chase Oaks Christian Church. To its right is plot for the planned Twin Creeks Church of Christ. | Fairview Town Planning and Zoning Commission agenda
The Church of Jesus Christ has posted a frequently asked questions document about the temple with answers here.