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The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has filed a new application for a conditional use permit to build a smaller McKinney Texas Temple in Fairview, Texas.

Fairview’s zoning commission and city council rejected the church’s original application to build a larger temple in separate votes last summer.

The two sides had negotiated an agreement for the smaller temple in November, but the church decided not to submit a new application when Mayor Henry Lessner and the town council indicated they would seek additional concessions by the church.

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“Recently, the mayor has again expressed his support and belief that the Town Council will stand by its word,” local church spokeswoman Melissa McKneely said in a statement released Tuesday.

“The church is grateful for this assurance and today has filed a new application consistent with the agreement. We look forward to continuing our association with the community as good neighbors and friends.”

Lessner confirmed Fairview officials received the church’s application Tuesday afternoon.

“The building design that was submitted yesterday appears similar in size to the building design that was part of the mediation back in November 2024,” Lessner said in a statement provided to the Deseret News. “Our staff has just starting looking at what was submitted. I really haven’t seen any of it other than a picture of the new design.

“We appreciate the church taking this route as opposed to going through the legal system.”

The Fairview Town Planning and Zoning Commission will review the application and vote on it in a future meeting. The date of that meeting has not been set, said Karin Anderson, the town’s communications and marketing manager.

The town council will review the application after the planning and zoning commission, she said.

The new application seeks a conditional use permit to build the temple in a residential area. Conditional use permits are the normal tool used by churches and governments to provide space for houses of worship in residential areas.

The church has applied to build the temple on Stacey Road, a four-lane state highway, in a section colloquially known as Church Row.

Today, Church Row includes Sloan Creek Campus of the Chase Oaks Christian Church and a Latter-day Saint meetinghouse. The temple and the Twin Creeks Church of Christ are also planned for that section of the road.

The initial Latter-day Saint proposal was for a medium-sized, two-story temple of 44,000 square feet on 8 acres. The plans called for the temple to be 65 feet tall with a 108-foot steeple for a total height of 173 feet.

After the town rejected that application, the two sides agreed to mediation. They emerged with an agreement for a smaller temple — one story of approximately 30,000 square feet with a main height of 45 feet and a steeple height of 120 feet.

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Soon after the sides announced the agreement, it appeared that Fairview leaders would call for more concessions. Members of Fairview United, a citizens group, have said they oppose a steeple taller than 68 feet, which is the height of the Latter-day Saint meetinghouse on the proposed temple site.

Last week, the local Latter-day Saint leader, Allen Texas Stake President Daniel Trythall sent a letter to Fairview officials requesting a positive outcome based on the mediated agreement.

McKneely, the local church spokeswoman, said the church’s leadership and membership want to cooperate with Fairview’s leaders and residents.

“In building sacred temples, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints always seeks to cooperate with communities while exercising its fundamental rights of worship,” she said in her statement.

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A north Texas leader of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints sent a letter to Fairview Mayor Henry Lessner and town council members on Monday asking them to reaffirm their commitment to allow the church to build the McKinney Texas Temple in Fairview.

“We value our relationship with the community and are eager to work together for a positive outcome to this project and our long-term relationship as friends and neighbors,” Allen Texas Stake President Daniel M. Trythall wrote in the letter, which was posted on a church website.

In November, the church and the town council negotiated a non-binding agreement in mediation that would allow the church to build a smaller temple than the one it proposed originally. Days later, under pressure from some residents, Lessner announced the mediated height for the temple was still too tall.

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Trythall’s letter arrived before an important date looming next week. The church sent Fairview a notice on Jan. 27 that served officially as an intent to sue. It triggered a 60-day period after which the church can seek a solution through the courts.

Trythall stated there was still a way forward without seeking a legal remedy.

“We respectfully invite the Town to reaffirm the commitments it made during the mediation process, which previously the Town Council unanimously voted to support,” he wrote. “Upholding the agreement is an essential reassurance that would make it unnecessary for us to seek judicial assistance to resolve this impasse.”

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Church says Texas town not standing by settlement reached for the McKinney Texas Temple

The 60 days toll on March 28, almost a year to the day that the U.S. Department of Justice sent an official letter to state, county and municipal officials across the nation in March 2024 to remind them that federal law “prohibits governments from imposing or implementing land use regulations that ‘unreasonably limit’ religious assemblies, institutions or structures within a jurisdiction.”

The letter noted that, “While zoning is primarily a local matter, where it conflicts with federal civil rights laws such as the Fair Housing Act or RLUIPA, federal law takes precedence.”

The Texas Religious Freedom Restoration Act says a court action cannot be brought unless written notice is provided to a government agency by certified mail 60 days before bringing a lawsuit. Any suit also must be filed within one year after the church learned a substantial burden had been placed on its religious freedom.

The church’s Jan. 27 letter included a notice to the town that it had outlined the burdens placed on the church by Fairview’s decision to deny the building permit for the temple in letters in July and August of 2024.

The church contends that the town’s denial of its application to construct a house of worship imposes a substantial burden on the church’s religious exercise “without a compelling governmental interest and in a manner that is not the least restrictive means of furthering the town’s interest.”

The church originally proposed a two-story temple of 44,000 square feet with a main height of 65 feet. The steeple was to reach to a total of 173 feet.

After mediation, the two sides agreed the temple would be reduced to one story of approximately 30,000 square feet with a main height of 45 feet and a steeple height of 120 feet. A church representative characterized the concessions as significant and said the Town Council had indicated they fully addressed its previous concerns.

Members of Fairview United, a citizens group, have said they oppose a steeple taller than 68 feet, which is the height of the Latter-day Saint meetinghouse on the proposed temple site. The Dallas Morning News reported that is the tallest religious building in the town.

The site is in a residential zone. The town’s zoning laws restrict buildings in residential zones to a maximum height of 35 but allows exemptions for churches with a conditional use permit. The Fairview Planning and Zoning Council rejected the church’s application for a permit in May 2024. The Town Council rejected it in August.

Lessner did not respond immediately to a request for comment on Monday afternoon. Fairview Town Manager Julie Couch confirmed the town received Trythall’s letter.

Lessner has said previously what the town wants to maintain “to protect our environment and character of our town.”

The church prepared a revised application based on the mediation settlement. A church official said the intended to file it by a Jan. 13 deadline set in the mediation agreement, but public statements by Lessner and discussions between church and town representatives raised concerns the town would not honor the settlement.

The church contends that the temple’s size in both proposals meets Fairview’s zoning regulations for conditional use permits. Houses of worship and schools typically are approved in residential American neighborhoods to serve people living nearby.

“It is important to clarify misinformation that may have circulated about this process,” Trythall wrote Monday. “It is disheartening to face mischaracterizations of our proposed temple as against the law, when it is entirely appropriate under local law and fully protected by both federal and state laws that protect religious rights in the United States of America.

“Our intention has always been to collaborate openly at every stage of this process,” he continued. “Despite our sincere efforts to avoid conflict, we must stand firm against any actions that would impede the rights of members of our church — or any church — to worship freely as protected by the laws of the land.”

President Russell M. Nelson announced plans for a temple in Prosper, Texas, in October 2022. The church announced the location would be in Fairview in December 2023.

“The temple is the house of the Lord. The basis for every temple ordinance and covenant … is the Atonement of Jesus Christ,” President Nelson said in a quote posted on the church’s website for the temple. “Every activity, every lesson, all we do in the church, point to the Lord and his holy house.”

“It has been almost one year since the LDS Church surprised our community with their plan to build a gigantic building on the residential side of our town,” Lessner wrote in his statement. “I am ready to travel to Salt Lake to meet with someone who is a decision maker in the LDS hierarchy to see if we can come to a common understanding that will avoid a lawsuit.”

Dear Mayor Lessner and Fairview Town Council Members:

I write this letter on behalf of the leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to discuss the proposed temple project in Fairview. We value our relationship with the community and are eager to work together for a positive outcome to this project and our long-term relationship as friends and neighbors.

Temples are sacred to us. They are the Houses of the Lord, sanctuaries where we commune quietly with Him, unite families for eternity, and experience hope and peace. Each of the 376 temples around the world embodies this faith. We also deeply cherish our connection with the communities where temples are located. Local members of the Church are an integral part of the Fairview community and the surrounding areas. We appreciate the vision for development that preserves Fairview’s unique character. We hope to support such an approach and want to reassure residents that the temple will be a beautiful and peaceful place that enhances the neighborhood in alignment with the long-term vision for the area.

The chosen 8.1-acre site is well-positioned among existing religious buildings along a busy commercial road, allowing for beautiful landscaping that will enhance and beautify the surroundings. We’re committed to not only meeting but exceeding local standards whenever reasonably possible.

However, it is troubling that members of the Town Council seem to have already withdrawn their support from the agreement made during the recent mediation. When the Church sought to engage with council members individually to discuss their commitment to this compromise, we were met with refusal. While we continue to believe that the Town’s denial of the current application substantially burdens the practice and expression of religious beliefs for the Church, we would still be prepared to shoulder that burden and file our application for the smaller temple. Before filing an application for a smaller temple, we ask only for assurance that the Town would live up to the original obligations it made during mediation. We remain concerned, however, that our religious rights could be compromised if the Town does not honor its word as agreed to during mediation. We entered mediation with hopes for a respectful and expedient solution that advanced everyone’s goals. That remains our hope.

It is important to clarify misinformation that may have circulated about this process. It is disheartening to face mischaracterizations of our proposed temple as against the law, when it is entirely appropriate under local law and fully protected by both federal and state laws that protect religious rights in the United States of America. Our intention has always been to collaborate openly at every stage of this process. Despite our sincere efforts to avoid conflict, we must stand firm against any actions that would impede the rights of members of our Church - or any Church - to worship freely as protected by the laws of the land.

There is a way forward. We respectfully invite the Town to reaffirm the commitments it made during the mediation process, which previously the Town Council unanimously voted to support. Upholding the agreement is an essential reassurance that would make it unnecessary for us to seek judicial assistance to resolve this impasse.

Thank you for your consideration. We consider ourselves part of the Fairview community and share this information in a spirit of transparency and friendship. We hope to find a mutually acceptable solution that honors Fairview’s future and the sacred role of the planned temple on this beautiful site. We hope you will engage with Fairview residents who want this temple and who share a love both for their faith and their local community.

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Sincerely,

President Daniel M. Trythall

Allen Texas Stake

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

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What some might consider essential workers and programs for public schools will soon be eliminated in McKinney.

The superintendent informed parents that budget cuts for next year would impact library aides, nurse's aides, summer school athletics, and programs for special needs and gifted and talented students.

"Devastation, this is really going to hobble our schools," said Rachel McManis, a parent of two students.

McManis is one of three mothers of McKinney ISD students CBS News Texas spoke with who have a lot to say about a letter from the superintendent outlining budget cuts that they believe could irreparably damage the schools they love.

"I'm worried that McKinney ISD is going to start losing talented educators that they have, and that affects my kids," McManis said.

She and the other mothers all have multiple students enrolled in McKinney ISD schools that, according to the superintendent's message to parents, will face reductions or eliminations of aides, including those for nurses, libraries, PE, and special ed.

That also includes intervention specialists that Melvina Montoya said had a tremendous impact on improving her child's life.

"We got an intervention teacher and were able to establish that my daughter was dyslexic in second grade because we were able to have her, and now they are taking her away," said Melvina Montoya, a McKinney ISD parent.

Also gone is summer school, which was not only helping students catch up but, in some cases, get ahead.

"My son is going to high school next year, and we're disappointed the German language program was cut, the summer school was cut, so that's going to limit how much he can take," McManis said.

Kids enrolled in gifted and talented programs also face an uncertain future with reorganization. A number of parents blame the six-year freeze on funding for public schools by state lawmakers.

"I can't think of a single thing that costs the same as it did in 2019," said Lauren Simpson, a McKinney ISD parent.

McKinney ISD leaders agree that "stagnant state funding," among other factors, has forced the district to make hard decisions, including staff cuts.

In a statement to CBS News Texas, the district said, "In the last year, our Central Office has already reduced more than 30 positions as people retired or left the district. These responsibilities and duties of the roles that were not refilled were distributed among existing staff. This approach allowed the district to maintain administrative function while reducing costs."

Simpson, who has two students in McKinney ISD, recently urged state lawmakers during a hearing in Austin to focus on repairing public education rather than passing a school choice bill.

"The state has been starving public schools for years and blaming the schools for the inevitable consequences of these actions," Simpson said.

With McKinney ISD doing away with a lot of what these parents say made it special, they worry that politics will continue to hold back the growth of their children and others across the state.

"It affects everyone's kid," McManis said.

J.D. Miles

J.D. Miles is an award-winning reporter who has been covering North Texas for CBS 11 since 1996.

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McKinney ISD Communications

McKinney, TX – McKinney ISD offers an excellent Career and Technical Education (CTE) program designed to equip students with the skills and knowledge they need to thrive in both higher education and the workforce. With a wide range of opportunities, the district’s CTE program helps students explore their strengths and career interests, providing them with the tools to succeed in an ever-evolving global economy.

For more details on McKinney ISD's CTE programs of study, visit https://www.mckinneyisd.net/page/career-technical-education.

The mission of the CTE program is to offer a blend of classroom instruction and real-world business/industry experience, allowing students to gain hands-on exposure to technical work environments. By connecting academic learning with practical application, CTE prepares students for a successful transition from high school to either postsecondary education or entry-level careers.

In fact, students in McKinney ISD’s CTE program can earn industry-recognized certifications in a multitude of high demand-high wage careers—credentials that will give them a competitive edge in their post-secondary work or as they move directly into the workforce.

MISD’s CTE program aligns with the Achieve Texas initiative, which is based on federally defined Career Clusters and Pathways. These clusters provide students with a roadmap for their educational journey, allowing them to make informed choices about their career goals and the coursework they pursue. With a clear progression of classes, students can follow career pathways that support their personal interests while building skills to enter high-demand industries.

“The CTE program is more than just about getting students ready for jobs—it’s about preparing them for successful futures,” said Jae Gaskill, MISD Director of Career and Technical Education. “We are committed to providing rigorous instruction, integrating real-world applications and ensuring our students are equipped with the skills they need to enter the workforce immediately after high school, or continue their education at the next level.”

In partnership with Collin College, McKinney ISD high school students can begin working toward an associate degree upon entering high school. This dual enrollment opportunity enables students to get a jumpstart on their college education while still in high school, saving time and money on their path to higher education.

The district also fosters partnerships with local businesses to offer students valuable job shadowing experiences and work-based learning opportunities, helping them build real-world connections that will benefit them in their careers.

The CTE program in MISD goes beyond technical skills by emphasizing essential employability traits such as reliability, responsibility, integrity, and teamwork. By cultivating these qualities, students are better prepared for success in both their future careers and personal lives.

With the wide variety of career clusters available, including health sciences, business, information technology, engineering, and more, MISD students are sure to find a pathway that piques their interest, promotes post-secondary success and provides opportunities to earn certifications.

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Whether students are aiming for immediate employment or further education, the CTE program's rigorous academic training, hands-on learning and industry-recognized certifications, provide a strong foundation for lifelong success.