Angry residents of a Nevada town are doing everything they can to stop the Mormon Church from erecting a 216-foot temple in their neighborhood.
Although residents of the Lone Mountain neighborhood of Las Vegas insist their frustration is not due to any problem with the Mormon religion, they oppose construction of the temple.
Lone Mountain residents fear the proposed 87,000-square-foot temple will disrupt their rural lifestyle and lead to more development. In particular, they are concerned about the temple’s planned height (216 feet), 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 setting,” said resident Brinton Marsden. 8news.
Residents of Lone Mountain, a small, quiet community in Las Vegas, are up in arms over the Mormon church’s plans to build a massive temple in their neighborhood. Pictured: a model of the proposed temple.
In Lone Mountain, houses must be no higher than two stories. The 216-foot temple would dwarf all the buildings in the area. To illustrate how much taller the temple would be, some residents floated a balloon 216 feet high in the air on Saturday.
In late March, 12 locals and members of the Northwest Rural Preservation Association, an organization that aims to preserve the rich rural culture in the Lone Mountain area, expressed anxiety about the project.
Marsden, a member and long-time resident of the area, said the large building would be illuminated 24/7 above his 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 crowded urban planning.
“For example, you can’t build any house on less than half an acre,” he said.
“It has to be a single-family house that does not exceed two floors.”
The organization’s treasurer, Erin DeLoe, expressed fear that the area’s nice, 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 released the balloon.
Brinton Marsden (pictured), a long-time member of the community, said the temple would “stick out like a sore thumb in the middle of a rural setting”.
Northwest Rural Preservation Association Treasurer Erin DeLoe (pictured) said, “We have no streetlights, no curbs, no gutters, no sidewalks, and that’s what we like.”
“We have no streetlights, no curbs, no gutters, no sidewalks, and that’s what we like,” DeLoe said. “This structure will be as tall as the Durango Casino.”
Both Marsden and DeLoe insisted 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 it too,” Marsden said. “This is not religious at all.”
DeLoe added, “I value their faith and what they have taught their people.”
“I don’t want this to be taken as an affront to their beliefs because that’s not what it’s about at all, it’s the building.”
Last Saturday, Lone Mountain residents took steps to illustrate the proposed height of the new Mormon temple.
An aggrieved local purchased a seven-foot helium balloon, which then floated over the Lone Mountain area at 216 feet, the proposed height of the temple.
The balloon, which could withstand 24 km/h, was fixed to two concrete blocks to anchor it. About 15 community members walked to the balloon launch site and showed solidarity.
Matt Hackley, a Lone Mountain resident, said, “We as neighbors are trying to fight this project.”
“It doesn’t fit with the neighborhood.”
Like Brinton Marsden, Hackley also invoked the Interlocal Agreement.
“It doesn’t fit within the guidelines that the rest of the neighborhood has to follow.”
“Our homes are asked to be a maximum of 35 feet, and the LDS community is asking that their temple be 216 feet.”
Although the Interlocal Agreement could effectively block future construction of the temple, a recent report by the city of Las Vegas concluded that the Mormon temple would not be in violation, since the agreement does not address religious or government facilities.
One local resident complained that their houses should be less than 35 feet high, while the proposed temple would be 216 feet high.
The lot (pictured) the Mormon church hopes to build on spans about 20 acres, enough to contain the proposed 87,000-square-foot mass of the temple.
Bud Stoddard, president of the Lone Mountain Stake of the Las Vegas Mormon Church, said 8news who believed that the 3,000 members he represents approve of the temple.
Stoddard explained that he was aware of the community’s concerns, but did not have the power to alter the height of the temple.
The lot the Mormon church hopes to build on totals 20 acres.
The massive temple would be located between North Grand Canyon Drive and Tee Pee Lane. The Lone Mountain Temple would be the second Mormon temple in Las Vegas and the fourth in the state of Nevada.