Fairview residents do not want their council to back down in the McKinney Texas Temple dispute, a months-long fight over the town’s zoning laws and the Church...
Fairview United maintains its firm opposition to breaking precedent for building heights in the town “isn’t due to any sort of prejudice or religious bigotry,” group member Marlo Ballard said, it’s in defense of Fairview’s identity.
“While it continues to be the Church’s hope that this matter can be worked out amicably, in the face of continued and unreasonable opposition, it appears the Church has no choice but to defend its rights in court,” a letter from church legal representation states.Fairview Mayor Henry Lessner emphasized that town officials unanimously approved the 120-foot result of mediation, sending it to the public for discussion.
Those dimensions represent the precedent for religious buildings in Fairview. The Town Council set those dimensions out to the church in August when it unanimously denied the church’s permit application, town documents show. Because of the Texas Religious Freedom Restoration Act, Fairview will need to show it has a compelling reason why it will enforce zoning laws against the church if the town is sued, according to Barry Hankins, a professor of history at Baylor University and editor of the Journal of Church and State.For Fairview residents, the compelling reason to stick to their guns is the character of their town and protecting the small-town feel by not allowing taller buildings.
Mayor Henry Lessner listens during a Fairview Town Council meeting at their Town Hall Chambers in Fairview, Texas, Tuesday, February 4, 2025.The temple’s original design would have been the town’s tallest building. Its redesigned 120-foot height would be the tallest religious building in the town and nearly as tall as Fairview’s water and radio towers, town documents show.
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