Concern over controversial Fairview LDS temple continues after town council approval
Despite a lot of pushback, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has been given the go-ahead to construct a temple with a 120-foot steeple in Fairview.
After more than a year of going back and forth with the church, the decision came from the town council just after midnight.
"I really thought that they were with us, they've been with us all the way along, but that decision floored me," Fairview resident Marlo Ballard said.
Fairview mayor criticizes handling of the issue
Fairview Mayor Henry Lessner proposed a max height of 70 feet and is not happy with how the church handled the situation. He said he and other council members felt they had to push this forward.
"We were worried about being sued," he said. "We're a small town, 11,000 people. Even if we went into court and we won, the cost of paying for our lawyers and the staff time would be just outrageous for us."
The temple will be located off Stacy Road, next to the church that opened in 2016. A church spokesperson said construction is expected to begin by late summer.
In a statement to CBS News Texas, a spokesperson for the church said:
"We are grateful for the outcome of last night's meeting and extend our sincere appreciation to the Fairview Town Council for honoring the terms of the mediated agreement. We know the temple will be a peaceful addition to Fairview and the surrounding communities."
Residents concerned over future precedents
"It's the weaponization of RLUIPA," resident Lisa Foradori said. "It was a law done in the early 2000s and it protects religious freedoms, so what they've done is basically said right out of the gate, 'We're going to sue you if you don't do what we want.'"
"There's a federal and a Texas version of that, so whether we put zoning in place or not, it seems to be kind of irrelevant," Lessner said.
Residents said they're concerned about the precedent this sets for other religious organizations in the future.
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