The city of Fairview in Collin County is resisting a proposal by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to build a temple with a tower over 160 feet high, according to recent reports.

The church wants to build the McKinney Texas Temple – first announced in October 2022 – next to one of its existing churches in Fairview, according to the church's website. However, Fairview residents have strongly opposed the proposal.

The reason for the controversy lies not in the religious affiliation of the temple, but rather in its size.

The temple is to be built on a 9-acre lot on Stacy Road next to one of the church's meetinghouses. It will be approximately 45,000 square feet and multi-story, according to the church's website.

The church tower is expected to be 175 feet tall, making it the tallest building in Fairview, a city of about 10,000 residents south of McKinney and east of U.S. Highway 75. According to WFAA-TV (Channel 8), no city ordinance allows the construction of such a tall structure.

However, the church is applying for a special permit that would allow construction to proceed anyway. The church and its supporters argue that the constitution protects the tower from development restrictions because it serves a religious purpose.

Church spokeswoman Melissa McKneely told WFAA that the tower has religious significance because it “represents something that reaches up to the sky and helps us look to heaven and to God.”

In early May, the church held an open house where residents and media were invited to talk about the project, WFAA reported.

“It's just a well-intentioned attempt to share details about our project, listen to their concerns and let them ask questions,” McKneely said, according to WFAA.

However, the newspaper reported that residents showed up for the open house wearing green shirts that read “Fairview United” and “Keeping it Country and not an inch more,” a reference to the town's motto.

About a week after the open house, Fairview's Planning and Zoning Committee recommended that the City Council reject the church's proposal. Fairview Mayor Henry Lessner expressed his support for that recommendation.

“I can only speak for myself. I will never condone this,” Lessner said, according to KTVT-TV (Channel 11). “It's just out of proportion to everything else there.”

On June 4, the debate over building the church continued. Hundreds of people attended the meeting, WFAA reported. Fairview residents argued that height restrictions were included in the city ordinance to preserve Fairview's rural feel.

The council ultimately decided to hold off on the permit application until its Aug. 6 meeting to give the church time to come back with a proposal for a smaller tower, WFAA reported.

“We want them to have their church. They just can't build it the size they want to build it,” Inga Fredrickson told WFAA.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has more than 385,000 members and about 750 congregations in Texas, according to the church's website. There are seven other existing or planned temples in Texas, including one in Dallas and one in Fort Worth, according to the church's website.