Fury erupts in Las Vegas community as residents push back against massive Mormon temple that would stand 216-feet high and tower over their quiet streets
Angry residents of a Nevada town are doing everything they can to prevent the Mormon church from building a 210-foot temple in their neighborhood.
Although residents of Las Vegas’ Lone Mountain neighborhood insist their frustration does not stem from a problem with the Mormon religion, they still oppose the temple’s construction.
Lone Mountain residents fear the proposed 80,000-square-foot temple will disrupt their rural lifestyle and lead to further development. They are particularly concerned about the planned height of the temple (66 meters), which will dwarf the rest of the buildings in the area.
“It’s going to stick out like a sore thumb in the middle of a rural area,” resident Brinton Marsden said 8news.
Residents of Lone Mountain, a small and sleepy community in Las Vegas, are up in arms over the Mormon Church’s plans to build a massive temple in their neighborhood, pictured: A mock-up of the proposed temple
In Lone Mountain, houses are not allowed to be higher than two stories. The 66 meter high temple would dwarf all buildings in the area. To illustrate how much bigger the temple would be, some residents floated a 65-meter balloon into the air on Saturday
In late March, 12 local residents and members of the Northwest Rural Preservation Association, an organization that aims to preserve the Lone Mountain area’s rich rural culture, raised concerns about the project.
Marsden, a member and long-time resident of the area, said the large building would be illuminated ’24/7′ above their quiet town.
Marsden also cited the Interlocal Agreement between the city of Las Vegas and Clark County, a document intended to protect the community from more dense urban planning.
“For example, a house cannot be built on less than half an acre,” he said.
‘It must be a single-family home and no larger than two stories.’
The organization’s treasurer, Erin DeLoe, expressed concern that the area’s pleasant and serene dark skies would disappear once the temple, with all its bright lights, was built.
About 15 other community members joined the resident as he launched the balloon
Long-time community member Brinton Marsden (pictured) said the temple would ‘stick out like a sore thumb in the middle of a rural setting’
Erin DeLoe, treasurer of the Northwest Rural Preservation Association (pictured), said, “We have no street lights, no curbs, no gutters and no sidewalks, and that’s what we like.”
“We have no street lights, no curbs, no gutters and no sidewalks, and that’s what we like,” DeLoe said. “This structure will be as tall as the Durango Casino.”
Both Marsden and DeLoe were convinced that their objection to the temple had nothing to do with the Mormon faith.
“If the Catholic Church wanted to build a basilica across the street, I would be against that too,” Marsden said. “This isn’t a religious thing at all.”
DeLoe added, “I appreciate their faith and what they have taught their people.”
“I don’t want this to be taken as an insult to their beliefs because it’s not that at all, it’s the building.”
Last Saturday, Lone Mountain residents took action to illustrate the proposed height of the new Mormon temple.
An aggrieved local purchased a six-foot-long helium balloon, which they then floated above the Lone Mountain area at a height of 210 feet — the proposed height of the temple.
The balloon, which could withstand speeds of 15 miles per hour, was tied to two concrete blocks to anchor it. About fifteen community members walked to the balloon launch site and stood in solidarity.
Lone Mountain resident Matt Hackley said, “We as neighbors are trying to fight this project.”
“It doesn’t fit in with the neighborhood.”
Like Brinton Marsden, Hackley also invoked the Interlocal Agreement.
“It doesn’t fit within the guidelines of what the rest of the neighborhood should follow.”
“Our homes are asked to be a maximum of 35 feet high, and the LDS community asks that their temple be 210 feet high.”
While the Interlocal Agreement could indeed halt future construction of the temple, a recent report from the city of Las Vegas concluded that the Mormon temple would not be in violation – as the agreement does not cover religious or government facilities.
A local resident complained that their houses should be less than 10 meters high, while the proposed temple would be 66 meters high
The parcel (pictured) on which the Mormon church hopes to build covers about 20 acres, enough to contain the proposed 87,000-square-foot main portion of the temple.
Bud Stoddard, stake president of the Las Vegas Lone Mountain Stake of the Mormon Church, shares 8news that he believed that the three thousand members he represents approve of the temple.
Stoddard explained that he was aware of the community’s concerns, but that the power to change the height of the temple did not rest with him.
The parcel of land on which the Mormon Church hopes to build is 20 acres.
The enormous temple would stand between North Grand Canyon Drive and Tee Pee Lane. The Lone Mountain Temple is believed to be the second Mormon temple in Las Vegas and the fourth in the state of Nevada.