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By Kent Larsen
LDS Church Proceeds With Final Steps for White Plains NY Temple
HARRISON, NEW YORK -- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
will ask the Harrison New York Town Board to approve the proposed
White Plains Temple on Monday, proceeding with the final step in the
approval process despite an outstanding lawsuit. However, Town
Supervisor Ronald Bianchi doesn't expect a quick decision by the
Board on the controversial building, saying that the Board is
unlikely to reach a decision Monday. And some local residents are
still opposed to the building.
The Church has already completed the initial step in the approval
process, securing the approval of the Harrison Planning Board, but
when it sought a zoning variance from the Harrison Zoning Board of
Appeals, the second step, it was turned down. The Church then went to
acting state Supreme Court Justice Peter Leavitt, who overruled the
board, ordering it to grant the variance. [In New York State, the
Supreme Court is not the highest level in the court system. It is a
trial court, and its decisions can be appealed to an appellate
division, and then to the Court of Appeals, the state's highest
court.]
In April, the town filed an appeal of Leavitt's decision, which has
not yet been heard. By going ahead with the third step, approval by
the Town Board, the Church is trying to accelerate the process for
building the Temple and secure permission to build as soon as
possible.
The lawyer representing the Church Monday, Jim Staudt, said the
presentation, which will ask the Town Board for a special exception
permit, will focus on how the site will be used, instead of on the
specifics of the building size and features. Staudt says the Church
has already reduced the size of the proposed temple, lowering its
height so that it will be completely screened by trees. He says the
issues of building features are outside of the government's role, "In
America, the government cannot be going through people's churches and
telling them which parts of the buildings are religiously significant
and which parts are not. That's the antithesis of the reasons this
country was founded."
Town Supervisor Bianchi says he had reviewed the town's records about
the proposed temple, but hasn't yet formed an opinion on the permit
request. He says that the Board will review the plans and evidence
before reaching a decision.
But in spite of Bianchi's statements, even in this step, the Church
faces opposition. Some of the neighbors continue to raise doubts and
objections. They say that they don't oppose the temple, as long as it
complies with local laws, and want the town to hire an independent
consultant to conduct a long-term study of the potential health,
safety and traffic issues posed by a regional temple.
Neighbor Kathy Gurfein claims that the Church hasn't tried to resolve
the neighbor's concerns, "The applicant has never, ever sat down with
us seriously and tried to mitigate our concerns. Our concerns have
absolutely nothing to do with their religion. It's the scope of the
structure that we're worried about and how it could negatively impact
a neighborhood built to handle single-family homes."
Another neighbor, Gary Brandt, add that Kenilworth Road, one of the
streets bordering the temple property, already has too much traffic,
"It's going to exacerbate a traffic problem that's already
intolerable," he said.
Source:
Mormons temple proposal goes to Harrison Town Board
Westchester co NY Journal News 9Jun01 D1
By Karen Pasternack: The Journal News
See also:
Harrison NY Appeals Decision Favoring Temple
Harrison Temple Gets Judge's Blessing
Proposed White Plains Temple Loses Zoning Decision
White Plains New York Controversy Makes Local News
LDS Leaders Request Fast For New York Temple
White Plains Temple Opposition Intensifies
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