“There are zoning rules for a reason. It protects property owners and it helps make sure everyone is on the same playing field,” said Sailor.
COLLIN COUNTY, Texas — Fairview Town Hall has become the epicenter of a heated debate over plans for a new Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS) temple in their town. But, on Friday, it was the setting for a small community choir singing carols.
“We’re not carrying signs or throwing rocks or anything like that. This is the kind of protest to have,” said long-time Fairview resident Ben Brown.
For organizer Pamela Sailor, the message behind the carols is to bring joy while also spreading their message of a legal defense fund created to help the town fight any possible legal challenges.
“There are zoning rules for a reason. It protects property owners and it helps make sure everyone is on the same playing field,” said Sailor.
The issue at hand, according to the members of the grass-roots group Fairview United, is not the church itself but its size. The residents argue that the proposed temple’s massive scale would be out of place in the small town.
“Our historic water tower is shorter than the temple height they’re trying to bring into this town,” said Sailor. “It doesn’t fit. It’s too big,” she said.
Originally, the plan included a 174-foot spire, which sparked large crowds both in support and against the proposal earlier in the year. Last month, mediation between the city and The Church led to a non-binding agreement reducing the spire’s height to 120 feet. But for some residents, that is not enough.
“To me, that’s not a compromise. It’s David versus Goliath,” Sailor said.
The group is rallying around a 68-foot height requirement for the temple as prescribed by the city’s zoning law. The city is also in the precarious position of avoiding a legal showdown with The Church.
“They have lots of money, they have lots of lawyers…and we’re a small town,” Brown said.
In the meantime, locals are using their voices in another way—singing carols to raise funds for a potential legal defense. They hope that the funds will help them advocate for a proposal that better aligns with the town’s character.
“We have neighbors we love who are members of The Church and it’s creating divisiveness that didn’t exist in this town,” the organizer said.
WFAA reached out and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints did not have a comment on Friday’s grass-roots event. The Church must resubmit a conditional use permit application for the proposed temple and that is expected to happen at the beginning of the year.
Carols are meant to bring cheer. This group hopes it brings a bit more.
“We hope it brings a proposal that meets our standards,” Brown said.