Church submits application for a smaller temple in Fairview, Texas
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has filed a new application for a conditional use permit to build a smaller McKinney Texas Temple in Fairview, Texas.
Fairview's zoning commission and city council rejected the church's original application to build a larger temple in separate votes last summer.
The two sides had negotiated an agreement for the smaller temple in November, but the church decided not to submit a new application when the mayor and town council indicated they would seek additional concessions by the church.
'Recently, the mayor has again expressed his support and belief that the Town Council will stand by its word,' local church spokeswoman Melissa McKneely said in a statement released Tuesday.
'The church is grateful for this assurance and today has filed a new application consistent with the agreement. We look forward to continuing our association with the community as good neighbors and friends.'
The Fairview Town Planning and Zoning Commission will review the application and vote on it in a future meeting. The date of that meeting has not been set, said Karin Anderson, the town's communications and marketing manager.
The town council will review the application after the planning and zoning commission, she said.
The new application seeks a conditional use permit to build the temple in a residential area. Conditional use permits are the normal tool used by churches and governments to provide space for houses of worship in residential areas.
The church has applied to build the temple on Stacey Road, a four-lane state highway, in a section colloquially known as Church Row.
Today, Church Row includes Sloan Creek Campus of the Chase Oaks Christian Church and a Latter-day Saint meetinghouse. The temple and the Twin Creeks Church of Christ are also planned for that section of the road.
The initial Latter-day Saint proposal was for a medium-sized, two-story temple of 44,000 square feet on 8 acres. The plans called for the temple to be 65 feet tall with a 108-foot steeple for a total height of 173 feet.
After the town rejected that application, the two sides agreed to mediation. They emerged with an agreement for a smaller temple — one story of approximately 30,000 square feet with a main height of 45 feet and a steeple height of 120 feet.
Soon after the sides announced the agreement, it appeared that Fairview leaders would call for more concessions. Members of Fairview United, a citizens group, have said they oppose a steeple taller than 68 feet, which is the height of the Latter-day Saint meetinghouse on the proposed temple site.
Last week, the local Latter-day Saint leader, Allen Texas Stake President Daniel Trythall sent a letter to Fairview officials requesting a positive outcome based on the mediated agreement.
McKneely, the local church spokeswoman, said the church's leadership and membership want to cooperate with Fairview's leaders and residents.
'In building sacred temples, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints always seeks to cooperate with communities while exercising its fundamental rights of worship,' she said in her statement.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Yahoo
Smyrna lacking sufficient financial reporting, governance: State auditor report
A state audit has uncovered serious deficiencies in the Town of Smyrna's financial oversight and internal controls, raising concerns about how public funds are managed and monitored. Conducted by State Auditor Lydia E. York, the 2025 performance audit examined town operations between 2022 and 2023. The report identified deficiencies in Smyrna's governance, including the absence of formal bank reconciliation procedures, poor tracking of capital projects and inadequate monitoring of federal relief funds. The problems are compounded by turnover in key management and accounting roles, the report stated. One major concern identified in the report was the town's inability to provide records detailing the status or funding sources of its capital projects, flagging Smyrna's management of more than $6 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds as particularly concerning. The report noted auditors found insufficient documentation for tracking spending, project progress and a lack of processes to monitor the use of ARPA money. FOR SUBSCRIBERS: Upcoming affordable housing developments in Delaware's lower counties The audit's other key findings include: Financial systems: The town continues to operate two separate accounting software systems, despite planning a transition to a unified platform in 2022. Procurement: The town failed to follow its procurement policy consistently due to insufficient oversight and monitoring. Policy gaps: A lack of comprehensive policy and procedures manual to guide governance and operations, contributing to poor communication between the Town Council and Town manager. Budgeting practices: No established process exists for management to review or approve budget-to-actual financial comparisons. The report findings concluded that these lapses increase the risk of errors and potential fraud. It also emphasized the need for Smyrna to implement corrective actions to improve internal controls, transparency and overall financial governance. Smyrna operates under a council–manager form of government. The auditor's report also included a formal response from Town Manager Torrie M. James. In the report, James stated that many of the audit's concerns are either being addressed or have already been resolved. In addition, the town posted a statement to its website providing further context, emphasizing that the audit was initiated at the request of the Town Council. The statement attributes gaps in internal controls to high turnover in key roles, including the Town Manager and Finance Director, over the past several years. That instability, the statement says, contributed to the weaknesses in financial procedures cited in the audit. 'The audit findings confirm what the current leadership team observed upon stepping into their roles: the Town lacked established written policies, consistent oversight procedures and internal checks and balances across several departments,' the statement reads. It says the lack of documented procedures and oversight created operational risks but emphasizes that no misuse of funds was found. The town asserts that a new leadership team, installed in March 2024, is committed to accountability and transparency in its effort to rebuild its operational foundation and restore public trust in its management. The auditor's report acknowledged Smyrna's growth, with the population rising to over 13,200 residents, a 3.4% increase. It concluded that this growth, combined with weak internal controls and inconsistent financial procedures, created challenges for transparency and effective management. Auditors recommended the town institute stronger systems of oversight, especially as demand for services continues to rise. The full report can be downloaded from the state auditor's website. You can contact staff reporter Anitra Johnson at ajohnson@ This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Smyrna audit report details gaps in procedures, ARPA fund tracking
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Yahoo
Terra Alta council suggests using donations, volunteers due to $0 budget
TERRA ALTA, (WBOY) — Amid administrative chaos centered around the Town of Terra Alta's budget, the town council held an emergency meeting Thursday night to discuss potential solutions, as well as the fate of the town's employees. 12 News previously reported on how the town failed to submit its annual budget to the West Virginia State Auditor's Office by the annual deadline, meaning it can't collect taxes and its budget is set at $0. During Thursday's meeting, residents raised questions on how the town is going to pay its employees or maintain the town as a whole. The meeting yielded few answers, with the council saying many of the decisions will fall on the new leadership following the upcoming municipal election, which is set for next Tuesday, June 10. Harrison County cemeteries in need of donations for maintenance Solutions discussed during the meeting included soliciting donations and volunteers to serve the community. Another solution was to tap into the $55,000 Shaw Fund, which was set up by a now-deceased former resident to be used to improve the town. 'At this time, we are getting no tax or levy money,' Town Clerk Kambra Sisler said. 'At this time, the main focus should be getting a bill into legislation to try to change the state so that there is an acceptance for us moving forward for our next budget because when we submit our next budget, it is 101% of what we received the previous year and we're receiving zero. So 101% times zero is zero.' With no budget and no answers, the town's employees are in a state of limbo. Their positions have not been officially eliminated as of Thursday night, but as it stands, there is no concrete plan to pay them. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- Yahoo
Can Fort Myers Beach close door to what's ahead? Potentially not anymore with 'precedent'
For Fort Myers Beach Mayor Dan Allers, the island's future might have gotten a little muddied with this week's Town Council approval of the Moss Marina entertainment complex and hotel. "Asking for a 200% increase in density is difficult for me to get behind," said Allers, who voted against the planned Arches Bayfront. "To me, this is something that could potentially open a door. And I'm not a person that likes to use the word, precedent. But to me this opens a door that's never been opened on this island." Here's what to know. The Arches backing comes after at least a couple of recent major development approvals by the council, which helped provide a path for Moss Marina operator Ben Freeland to give it another shot after being largely rebuffed the past couple of years or so. Changing numerous zoned residential properties to commercial as part of adding to the marina, the latest plans call for a 263-room hotel and other structures rising to about 100 feet featuring dining, bars and retail along a bayfront promenade wedged between Old San Carlos Boulevard and a neighborhood. Many nearby residents pretty much resigned themselves to the fact that approval would be coming from a current council that has backed other major endeavors in recent months. Instead, as the island continues to recover from 2022's Hurricane Ian and subsequent storms, they pushed for some concessions to reduce noise and traffic by their houses after construction begins. "I'm here representing the neighbors who aren't here because they already know you're going to change our neighborhood," said resident Chris Mosteiro, who represented owners of 15 homes and properties in submitting a letter to the council. "I'm representing the neighbors that are out of town. I'm here representing the neighbors who are exhausted after years of rebuilding." The mayor agreed that "this neighborhood will be impacted," and that he could "honestly say" it was not in line "with what the comprehensive plan and land development code sought out to do, specifically with commercial intrusion." And the town staff agreed in recommending against the enterprise. "It appears incompatible with the residential neighborhoods that are directly abutting and has the potential to create additional nuisances, such as noise and traffic, both vehicle and pedestrian, into the residential area," said Town Principal Planner Judith Frankel. Freeland said he's been doing his best working with residents and city leaders and reduced the size of what he had in mind while offering amenities to the public, which helped lead to support from four of the five council members, such as Vice-Mayor Jim Atterholt. "I thought to his credit, he made some significant commitments to not only operating a water ferry terminal but also operating a water ferry," said Atterholt, as some ferry specifics need to be worked out. "I think this project is in the public benefit. I think we've again as an island done an excellent job, (and) I'm obviously also excited about the ferry and a number of other things that this has to offer." At one point, there were at least 400 units in play on the nearly 5 acres for what has been tabbed as Arches Bayfront Resort, near the shadow of the Matanzas Pass Bridge. Arches would have buildings varying in height between one and seven stories, with a total maximum height of 102 feet, according to what's been drawn up. By comparison, the six-story Marina Village at Snug Harbor next door has an overall height of 71 feet, town records show. A goal has been to get interest in the compound from potential companies, said Moss consultant Patrick Vanasse, president of The Neighborhood Company: "The Freelands will be the developer/builder. They're going to turn this to an operator. Obviously, they need to make their resort attractive to get the best operator possible." No exact construction start date has been set as Freeland sorts through potential contractors. "This is going to be a very high-end resort," he said. "We prefer to build it all at once ― more efficient if you could do it all at once. (The) goal would be to build it all at the same time." Even though Allers didn't back it, the mayor appreciated some of the scaling back, such as the number of hotel units. "Where it came from to where it is now is leaps and bounds," he said. "I do support a project there. I just can't support the project as it's proposed, but I appreciate all the negotiations back and forth." Freeland had told In the Know last summer that he was not giving up and had gone back to "the drawing board reimagining the site." He also hired The Neighborhood Company, with its Fort Myers Beach roots that has been involved in various endeavors on Estero Island. Going back to about when Margaritaville made its historic debut in December 2023 after a long and winding road, Freeland then said he expected his project to come back as well, about 110 paces from his new Jimmy Buffett-inspired neighbor. At the time, he was disappointed by the continued reluctance by the town to change its land use plan that would pave the path for his endeavor, saying "We strongly believe we're on the right track to be an important part of our island's rebuild." Freeland had put the project on pause in October 2023 after members of the Beach Town Council and planning board signaled they didn't plan to deviate far from the comprehensive plan that's been in place for almost three decades. The plan is a blueprint that guides future land use, such as density. However, some residents feel the Town Council may have gone too far in recent approvals of the Pink Shell expansion and especially the high rises to replace the Red Coconut RV park, saying it may lead to more major development. As In the Know has reported, the Coconut, as approved near the library, would rise as high as 17 stories and occupy space 10 times larger than the White House. Pink Shell received backing for a new 40-room structure that could rise six stories above the bay on the north side. In the Know: Latest on Buc-ee's SWFL opening. Company leaders address traffic concerns The Freeland family has gone to battle with the town in the past and prevailed. Just before the turn of the century, they won a suit over their gambling yacht operation after officials raised concerns about parking and licensing. Captiva: South Seas holds official grand reopening just in time for hurricane season As originally conceived, Freeland, working with the Restore the Arches group, has been wanting to have a memorial dedicated to the iconic Beach symbol along the planned bay walk as a way to educate the public about the history tied to them. The late entrepreneur Tom Phillips perched gateway stone bell tower arches in 1924 on the future San Carlos Boulevard near the McGregor Boulevard intersection to promote massive development he had planned to assemble but didn't execute due to a variety of factors. He had planted a similar arch of native coral rock not far from where the Sky Bridge to Fort Myers Beach is now. Based at the Naples Daily News, Columnist Phil Fernandez (pfernandez@ grew up in Southwest Florida and has led Pulitzer Prize-winning efforts. He writes In the Know, one of USA TODAY Network's most read local news columns in the state. Support democracy. Subscribe to a newspaper. This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Fort Myers Beach future: 'Door that's never been opened on the island'
