Phoenix Arizona Temple
Encyclopedia
The Phoenix Arizona Temple is a planned temple
Temple (LDS Church)
In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , a temple is a building dedicated to be a House of the Lord, and they are considered by Church members to be the most sacred structures on earth. Upon completion, temples are usually open to the public for a short period of time...

 of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), to be constructed in the city of Phoenix
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...

, Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...

. The announcement of the temple on May 24, 2008 came after the Gila Valley Arizona Temple
Gila Valley Arizona Temple
The Gila Valley Arizona Temple is a temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the town of Central between the communities of Pima and Thatcher in Arizona...

, and the Gilbert Arizona Temple
Gilbert Arizona Temple
The Gilbert Arizona Temple is a temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, being constructed in the town of Gilbert, Arizona. The announcement of the temple on April 26, 2008 came concurrently with the Gila Valley Arizona Temple, and together were the first new temples announced...

s were announced only a month earlier, and together are the first new temples announced since Thomas S. Monson
Thomas S. Monson
Thomas Spencer Monson is an American religious leader and author, and the 16th and current President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . As president, Monson is considered by adherents of the religion to be a "prophet, seer, and revelator" of God's will on earth...

 assumed responsibilities as the President of the LDS Church.

The announcement came in part as a response to the high concentration of church members in the area, and will help ease the load on the nearby Mesa Arizona Temple
Mesa Arizona Temple
The Mesa Arizona Temple is the seventh operating temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Located in the city of Mesa, Arizona, it is the first of five LDS temples built or planned in the state.-History:...

. With this addition to the list, there are now 134 temples operating, 7 under construction, and 16 planned, including 3 operating and 2 announced in Arizona.

The original design of the temple, which resembled the Draper Utah Temple
Draper Utah Temple
The Draper Utah Temple is the 129th temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, dedicated as such on 20 through 22 March 2009. Prior to the dedication, the temple was open to the public from 15 January 2009 through 14 March 2009. The current president of the Draper Utah Temple is...

 in design, exceeded the maximum height restrictions imposed by existing zoning law and required an exception be granted by the Phoenix city council. At question was not the planned steeple height of 126 feet (38.4 m), as church steeples are exempt from zoning laws, but the temple's structural height of 40 feet (12.2 m). The exterior color of the temple was also changed from the traditional white to a more natural stone color in an effort to address the concerns of residents in the neighborhood where the temple is to be constructed.

The city council voted to approve the requested zoning exemptions on December 2, 2009. Local residents opposed to the construction mounted a successful campaign to call for a voter referendum on the council's decision, delivering the requisite signatures by December 31, potentially delaying the approval process until September 2011 when the issue could be put to a vote. After a series of talks with the opposition, LDS Church representatives announced on January 26 that the temple would be redesigned to comply with the zoning restrictions by limiting the structural height to 30 feet (9.1 m), obviating the need for any exceptions and eliminating the need for any further approval process. LDS Church representatives indicated that the redesign process would take about eight months to a year. The height of the steeple, building color and lighting are not regulated by zoning laws and it was unclear at that time if the steeple height would be changed with the redesign, or previous design concessions would be retained in the new design.

On August 17, 2010 the redesign was submitted to the City of Phoenix for preliminary approval. A meeting for neighbors of the temple was held that same day. The redesigned structure will be 30 feet high with a 90 foot spire. This meets the 30 feet zoning limit on building heights, and the total height is 9 feet lower than the previously proposed design.

Elder Ronald A. Rasband of the Presidency of the Seventy presided at a small groundbreaking ceremony held on June 4, 2011.

See also


External links

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