Las Vegas LDS Temple decision challenged in court

A Clark County coalition wants a court to review the city of Las Vegas’ recent approval to build a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints temple near Lone Mountain in northwest Las Vegas.

The Nevada Rural Preservation Alliance, which described itself as a nonprofit whose members include affected neighborhood residents, filed the petition for judicial review on Sunday.

Last month, the City Council greenlit the Lone Mountain Temple project at Hickman Avenue and Grand Canyon Drive in the far northwest valley.

The religious organization is planning to build a 70,000-square-foot facility on about 20 acres, which will include a steeple reaching a height of almost 200 feet.

“In approving the Temple Project, the City of Las Vegas completely ignored the law, misapplied the law, and made factual decisions that were not in any way shape or form supported by substantial evidence,” read the 26-page petition.

According to the petition, the city “abused its discretion” and “made errors of law” when it reviewed and approved the project.

The group alleged that the city sidestepped a zoning agreement between Las Vegas and Clark County that aims to limit commercial and industrial projects in residential neighborhoods.

“The Interlocal Agreement takes precedence over local zoning ordinances or other city ordinances,” the petition said. “Additionally, there are federal cases that have superseded local laws to protect citizens.”

The church said it was aware of the court filing.

“That unanimous approval came after extensive review by the City Council, input from all segments of the community, and vigorous discussion,” the church said in a statement. “We are grateful for the City Council’s hard work and are confident its decision will be upheld.”

The petition said that the building of the temple would “obliterate the rural characteristics of the neighborhood.”

The petition cited residents’ concerns that included heavy traffic, construction noise, environmental impact and “aggressive lighting.”

Councilwoman Francis Allen-Palenske last month said she would work on a “dark sky” ordinance to address the hours the temple’s lighting could stay on.

The petition further argued that residents didn’t have sufficient time to make their case, and that the city had in the past denied similar projects.

In May, hundreds of community members showed up to a Planning Commission meeting. On July, they showed up in troves to the City Council meeting in which the project was approved unanimously.

“The general public cannot enjoy the LDS Temple in any way shape or form,” the petition said. “The LDS Church mixed terms at the proceedings with the City and tried to pass of the Temple as a meeting house in order to claim some quasi-public purpose.”

The court had not responded to the petition as of Tuesday afternoon.

The city declined to comment citing pending litigation.

“In this matter there is no impact to religious practice, since there are many alternative sites where the temple may be built,” the petition said.

Contact Ricardo Torres-Cortez at rtorres@reviewjournal.com.