On Feb. 21, 2026, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints gathered on Stacy Road in Fairview to break ground on a controversial new temple, moving forward with a project that was reshaped by months of intense public debate.
The ceremony marks the start of a two-year construction phase for a facility that was once at the center of a high-profile zoning battle between the church and local town officials.
The site, located at 651 East Stacy Road, sits on an 8.16-acre plot adjacent to an existing meetinghouse. Once completed, the temple will serve as a primary house of worship for the Latter-day Saints in North Texas, which now totals over 390,000 members across the state.
The Path To Construction
The path to Saturday’s ceremony was defined by a lengthy wrestle over the local skyline. Original plans proposed a massive two-story, 45,000-square-foot structure crowned by a 174-foot spire. However, Fairview officials and residents voiced concerns that the building’s scale would clash with the town’s aesthetic.
After nine months of back-and-forth negotiations — and the looming possibility of legal action — a compromise was struck to bring the project in line with local expectations. The church agreed to several significant changes:
Height Reduction: The spire will now reach 120 feet, a 54-foot drop from the original design.
Smaller Footprint: The temple was scaled down to a single-story, 30,742-square-foot building.
Limited Lighting: To protect Fairview’s dark skies, exterior lighting will be turned off between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. nightly and all day on Sundays and holidays when the building is closed.
The Name: Originally called the “McKinney Texas Temple,” the project was officially renamed the Fairview Texas Temple as part of the deal.
“Beginning today — and moving forward through construction and beyond — we plead with Thee for blessings to be poured out upon this community,” Elder Jonathan Schmitt said at the ground breaking. “We pray a blessing to be upon all Thy children in this beautiful community of Fairview, Texas, and surrounding municipalities.
Construction Timeline And Regional Growth
The Fairview project is just one piece of a larger expansion across the Lone Star State. While construction in Fairview is expected to last through the summer of 2028, several other temples are currently in various stages of development:
The Fairview project is just one piece of a broader expansion across the Lone Star State, where the Church’s footprint continues to grow. Currently, new temples are under construction in Austin, Fort Worth, and Fairview, while additional sites have been announced for El Paso and Houston South. These upcoming facilities will join a robust network of existing temples already in operation across Texas, including locations in Dallas, Houston, Lubbock, McAllen and San Antonio.
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