LDS Church – The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints says it will not reduce the height of the Fairview Texas Temple steeple after Mayor John Hubbard renewed a request to lower it, extending a yearslong dispute over zoning rules and religious freedom.
In Fairview, the steeple is already taking shape—and Mayor John Hubbard has made the same request again anyway.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints says it will not shorten the steeple height of the temple now under construction in Fairview after the mayor urged the church to reconsider. The fight has lingered for years, fueled by zoning arguments and competing claims about religious freedom.
For town leaders and residents, the concern has been the scale. In 2024, the temple was planned to rise more than 170 feet. Fairview, which describes itself as a small town in Collin County, about 30 miles north of Dallas, has said that size doesn’t fit the character of the community.
The church’s answer is blunt: reducing the temple isn’t something it can do. In response to Hubbard’s most recent request. church elder Steven Bangerter wrote that the church “will not reduce the height of its temple” and said the church has already made “very significant concessions.” The church asked the town to honor its commitments and support the approved design.
Bangerter also said the proposal to shrink the temple cannot be met “due to the worship needs of our members.” Church members. he wrote. view temples as sacred houses of the Lord. Hubbard. for his part. has questioned whether the 120-foot steeple is necessary for worship and whether it is required in a way that outweighs local concerns.
The current dispute traces back to steps taken before construction began. After a denied permit, there were threats of a lawsuit, mediation, an approved permit for a 120-foot-tall structure, and a lawsuit filed by residents. Construction on the temple began in February.
Hubbard’s renewed push came in a May 1 letter. He wrote that there remains “a consistent concern” about the height and scale of the temple and whether it will fit “harmoniously within the character of Fairview.” After receiving Bangerter’s May 20 response, Hubbard said he was disappointed.
Bangerter had written that stopping construction and pursuing a new design would be “extremely costly and cause much delay.” Hubbard pointed to that statement, saying it indicated the church “is unable to agree” to the proposal.
Hubbard’s letters also turned to examples beyond Texas. He questioned the need for a 120-foot steeple, citing a 70-foot steeple on a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints temple in Yorba Linda, California, and a temple with no steeple in Vienna, Austria.
In his response to Bangerter, Hubbard argued the examples matter because they are not relics of the past. “These are not old designs,” Hubbard wrote. “They are current expressions of the Church’s architectural vision, and they suggest that the prior testimony about necessity deserves a second look.”
Even as the permit was approved, Hubbard said the Town Council was not satisfied with the outcome. In a more conservative court system, he said leaders worried about what continued conflict over religious freedom would mean for the town. “They felt like they had no other choice,” Hubbard said.
Still, Hubbard pressed forward with what he described as a path that would not reopen the permit approval process. He asked the church to lower the steeple from 120 feet to 100 feet tall as “a voluntary act of goodwill.”
At 120 feet, Hubbard wrote, the steeple currently under construction will “be visible from virtually every point in Fairview.” He also said the question was less about rejecting the idea of a temple and more about what the building would symbolize in the town.
Bangerter countered that each house of worship carries its own meaning. He wrote that a steeple’s “reach toward heaven is not for municipal authorities to decide. ” describing the town’s view as if the building were “little more than an office building.” In his letter. Bangerter added that while compelling reasons can justify limits. “a desire not to see a steeple is not a compelling reason.”.
To the church, Fairview’s objections miss the religious purpose. Bangerter wrote that “Towering steeples of many denominations dot the landscapes of rural towns throughout America,” and argued that “the temple’s modest steeple will only complement Fairview’s character.”
Hubbard’s position is equally personal. “We welcome the temple,” he said. “It’s just so big.”
The dispute also rests on how each side describes what a temple is for. Latter-day Saints temples don’t hold large congregations on a specific day of the week like other churches. Instead, members visit in smaller groups throughout the week for ceremonies like baptism. Church members consider temples sacred houses of the Lord.
Hubbard asked the church to consider the symbolic weight of the structure—and the town continues to weigh that against the church’s insistence on worship needs and architectural decisions. Church leaders said another temple is needed to accommodate a large congregation in the region. They also pointed to demand in the Dallas area. where there is currently one temple operating that “struggles to meet demand. ” and to another temple under construction near Fort Worth.
For now, the conflict is no longer about whether there will be a temple in Fairview. The church has already said the key question—whether to lower the steeple—has been answered.
Fairview Texas Temple LDS Church John Hubbard Steven Bangerter steeple height zoning dispute religious freedom Collin County