Debate continues over proposed LDS temple in Las Vegas

By Joe Moeller

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    LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — We’ve been following the story about a proposed LDS temple in the northwest valley, which is causing concern among some Lone Mountain area residents.

At issue, the proposed height of the steeple at 216 feet, which is about the same height as the tower at Durango Resort.

I looked into it and found out the issue has been brought up in other communities and the residents’ voices were heard.

This is a temple under construction 260 miles away in Yorba Linda, California.

The steeple was originally proposed to be 100 feet, according to city officials there.

“When I come home, let’s say I leave in the morning, I am going to look out my front door. I am going to see a 45-foot temple,” a concerned Yorba Linda resident said during a planning meeting in 2022. “Our concerns remain the same, the size of the building and overall height.”

One issue highlighted in an email was the shadow the steeple would cast and they wrote a shadow study was done.

I talked to Nate Farnsworth, the Community Development Director from the City of Yorba Linda.

“The residents raised a lot of concerns about the height of the building, which we don’t have any buildings that are that high,” Farnsworth told me. “The planning commission decided to approve the project at a height of 70 feet.”

The height was lowered. A representative from the LDS church was quoted in the Orange County Register at the time, basically saying they did it as a courtesy to neighbors.

Farnsworth says they reviewed what happened with a temple that was built in Newport Beach in the early 2000s.

“We kind of looked to that one to see what kind of concerns came up with that. Very similar type things. Residents were concerned about the steeple height,” Farnsworth explained. “The church did end up lowering the steeple on that.”

Earlier this week, Las Vegas councilwoman Francis Allen Palenske held a virtual town hall to talk about the structure. 3D images were released showing how it could look in the area.

Channel 13 put in a request for an interview with the councilwoman, but the councilwoman says she wants to hear more from the public. The next meeting on this is set for Tuesday.

Last month, Channel 13 spoke to Bishop James Eudy in the east valley where another temple is located.

“Everywhere we have a temple, it tends to be one of the nicer neighborhoods,” Eudy said at the time. “It tends to drive up the property value.”

Lone Mountain residents I talked to plan to attend Tuesday’s meeting.

“What are you hoping happens here,” I asked Lone Mountain resident Victoria Bremner.

“I am really hoping that the proposal is redone,” she replied.

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