Neighborhood opposition over the Phoenix temple unites members0
Mormon Life says: Great background into the controversy over the Phoenix temple being built.
Paul Gilbert was feeling serendipitous.
"I'm feeling good, very positive," said Gilbert, president of the Tempe Arizona University Stake and real estate attorney who represented The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in its effort to obtain a zoning variance for the planned Phoenix Temple.
On Dec. 3, the day after Phoenix City Council had voted unanimously to allow the church to build a new temple -- a 40-foot-high building plus 86-foot steeple spire -- Gilbert was grateful for the support from Phoenix area Mormons.
"I've been very involved from the start, but I've sure had a lot of help. I've been very, very proud of our members."
The temple project, planned on West Pinnacle Peak Road near North 51st Avenue adjacent to an existing LDS chapel, required a zoning variance because the maximum allowed height was 30 feet for the building. The city's Planning Commission approved the variance, and it then went to the City Council.
"We're allowed to build a building 30 feet in height," Gilbert said. "We are only asking for ... 10 additional feet of height. The spire is not regulated. It can go as high as we wanted it to, but we were careful right from the start not wanting to go too high, and we are about 60 feet lower, for example, than the Gilbert Temple, which was recently approved here."
The height of the building was one of the issues that sparked some intense opposition to building a temple. Some nearby homeowners had argued that the temple would block their mountain views, increase traffic in the neighborhood and decrease property values.
Read the rest of this story at MormonTimes.com
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