Group of Las Vegas Homeowners File Lawsuit to Stop Construction of 216-Foot-Tall Mormon Temple
LAS VEGAS, NV – A group of frustrated homeowners in Las Vegas have filed a lawsuit in an attempt to stop the construction of a gigantic Mormon temple in their neighborhood, claiming that the Las Vegas City Council misinterpreted building restrictions when granting approval to the project; the angry residents are requesting that a judge overturn the council’s decision.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints temple is slated to take the form of a 216-foot tall, 87,000 square-foot structure that the plaintiffs are saying would disrupt the neighborhood’s character by “dwarfing” all the other buildings and homes in the area, as well as creating light pollution, traffic congestion, and overall disruption in an otherwise quiet area.
We’re talking about a three-story office building that’s going to be lit up 24/7,” resident Brinton Marsden said to local media. “It’s going to stick out like a sore thumb in the middle of a rural setting.”
We have no streetlights, no curbs, no gutters, and no sidewalks, and that’s what we like,” said fellow resident Erin DeLoe. “This structure will be as tall as the Durango Casino.”
The attorney representing the plaintiffs, Evan Schwab, said that the city council abused its authority when they granted approval to the temple project, and alleged that the church’s law firm had made monetary donations to specific council members prior to the vote, creating very real conflicts of interest.
Las Vegas City Council abused its discretion and the findings/rulings,” Schwab says in court documents. “The City of Las Vegas’ decision was not supported by substantial evidence.”
Local residents had conducted protests leading up to the council’s vote; at one of them, they flew a balloon at a height of 216 feet to give a visual representation of the staggering height of the temple once it is complete.
However, the project has its share of supporters as well; local resident Lindsay Nielson, herself a Mormon, said that the church will be a “positive addition to the community” and will “adhere to all regulations” once it is complete.
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