DESPITE OPPOSITION MORMONS
BREAK GROUND IN BOSTON

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, undaunted by the threat of a lawsuit, has begun construction on its $30 million Boston Temple. The Mormon edifice is being built in the city of Belmont, which limits the height of structures in residential neighborhoods to 67.5 feet. A 139-foot steeple is at issue.

Originally, the Mormon church planned to build a three-story, 94,100-square-foot building with six spires, but scaled back to the current plan. The temple will be built on an 8.9-acre tract next to a current stake house or church. The formal ground breaking ceremony, with leaders from Salt Lake City, was held June 13.

In April, a zoning permit was issued by the city allowing the building to be built under its current design with the 139-foot steeple intact. However, in May, six residents filed a lawsuit in Middlesex Superior Court, “contending that the town violated its own special permitting authority and misapplied a special exemption for churches to the project.”

According to a report in The Boston Globe, Grant Bennett, bishop of the local LDS congregation, believes a judge will ultimately side in favor of the LDS church. “We plan to build the building without the spire, but expect to add it as designed once the appeals process has concluded,” he said.

John Forster, a resident opposing the temple, said the Mormons’ action is “a tactic of intimidation and an attempt to change the momentum in their favor.”

“We expected this might happen, even though they kept telling us they were negotiating with us as good neighbors, because this is how they got their meeting house built over the town’s objections 20 years ago. In that instance, even though they were denied a parking lot permit, they built their structure and then sued the state successfully for the parking lot,” Forster added.

The temple, when completed, will accommodate LDS church members from Southern Canada and New England.

—MKG

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