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<\/picture><\/div>Signs displayed at the construction zone of the Fairview Texas Temple by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, on Tuesday, May 12, 2026 in Fairview.<\/p>\n
<\/span>Shafkat Anowar\/The Dallas Morning News<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will not reduce the height of its temple under construction in\u00a0Fairview after the town\u2019s mayor again asked<\/a> the church to reconsider its contested steeple.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n A bitter fight steeped in arguments over zoning rules and religious freedom has mired the town and church in disagreement for years<\/a>. Some town leaders and residents say the temple\u2019s size, which in 2024 was planned to rise more than 170 feet, is out of character for Fairview, which claims a small-town identity in Collin County, 30 miles north of Dallas.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n After a denied permit, threats of a lawsuit, mediation, an approved permit for a 120-foot-tall structure and a lawsuit from residents, construction began on the temple<\/a> in February.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \u201cIn a good faith effort at reasonable compromise, the church has already made very significant concessions<\/a>,\u201d wrote church elder Steven Bangerter in response to the mayor\u2019s recent request to reduce the steeple height. \u201cWe ask the town to honor its commitments and support the approved design.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Reducing the size of the temple is also not possible, Bangerter said, \u201cdue to the worship needs of our members.\u201d Some church members say another temple is needed to accommodate a large congregation in the region, and that the church has a religious right<\/a> to build the temple as it sees fit.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n There is currently one temple operating in Dallas that struggles to meet demand, leaders said, and another under construction near Fort Worth.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Construction zone of the Fairview Texas Temple by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, on Tuesday, May 12, 2026 in Fairview.<\/p>\n <\/span>Shafkat Anowar\/The Dallas Morning News<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n A year after a permit for the 120-foot-tall temple was approved, Mayor John Hubbard asked the church to volunteer to reduce the height, writing in a May 1 letter there remains \u201ca consistent concern<\/a>\u201d about the height and scale of the temple and whether it will fit \u201charmoniously within the character of Fairview.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n In response on May 20, Bangerter, a church executive director based in Utah, wrote that stopping construction and seeking a new design would be \u201cextremely costly and cause much delay.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Hubbard said he was disappointed by Bangerter\u2019s letter that stated the church \u201cis unable to agree\u201d to his recent proposal. In response, Hubbard questioned if the 120-foot steeple is necessary for worship purposes, citing a 70-foot steeple on a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints<\/a> temple in Yorba Linda, Calif., and a temple with no steeple in Vienna, Austria.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Related:<\/strong> Fairview leaders again plead with Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for smaller temple<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \u201cThese are not old designs,\u201d Hubbard wrote in a letter responding to Bangerter. \u201cThey are current expressions of the Church\u2019s architectural vision, and they suggest that the prior testimony about necessity deserves a second look.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Hubbard said while the temple\u2019s permit was approved, the Town Council was not happy<\/a> with the outcome. But in a more conservative court system, he said leaders worried what fighting a lawsuit over religious freedom would mean for the town.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cThey felt like they had no other choice,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Hubbard asked again if the church would lower the steeple from 120 feet to 100 feet tall as \u201ca voluntary act of goodwill,\u201d not to relitigate or re-enter the permit approval process<\/a>. At 120 feet, the steeple currently under construction will \u201cbe visible from virtually every point in Fairview,\u201d he wrote.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Bangerter wrote that each house of worship \u201cconveys its own unique message within the larger context of the faith.\u201d A steeple\u2019s reach toward heaven is not for municipal authorities to decide, he wrote, \u201cas if the edifice were little more than an office building.\u201d While compelling reasons can justify limits, \u201ca desire not to see a steeple is not a compelling reason<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Signs displayed at the construction zone of the Fairview Texas Temple by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, on Tuesday, May 12, 2026 in Fairview.<\/p>\n <\/span>Shafkat Anowar\/The Dallas Morning News<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n \u201cTowering steeples of many denominations dot the landscapes of rural towns throughout America,\u201d Bangerter wrote. \u201cThe temple\u2019s modest steeple<\/a> will only complement Fairview\u2019s character.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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