Hundreds of people attended Wednesday evening’s Wasatch County Planning Commission meeting at which the commission voted to recommend The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ Heber Valley temple project’s legislative agreement, plat approval and site plan approval.

The meeting — which was held in the county’s senior center — was standing room only even before it began at 5:30 p.m. An adjacent room in the county library was used as an overflow, and by 6 p.m. it too was running low on empty seats. Outside, cars filled every space in the parking lot and every curbside spot outside the building.

Wasatch County Deputy Attorney Jon Woodard addressed the commission and attendees regarding the unique aspects of the project. 

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He spoke about the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act — a subject he thoroughly explored during the commission’s June 21 meeting earlier this year — and how it relates to this project.

The federal standard, he explained, requires Wasatch County to impose the “least restrictive means” on religious groups when acting in the interest of government.

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Failure to do so could potentially land the county in legal battles that could prove expensive if lost. A legislative agreement, he said, would allow the council to discuss and approve the project with the church without needing to substantially change existing county code in ways that wouldn’t make sense for most developments or risk expensive attorney fees. It would allow the council discretion it wouldn’t have if the project went through the county’s regular administrative approval process.

Wasatch County Planning Director Doug Smith gave an overview of the project’s 300 page staff report.

The commission, he said, would need to make suggestions it deemed appropriate. He recommended seven conditions that he thought should be met for the commission to recommend council approval on the project. These included propositions that the trees bordering the temple’s parking lot and surrounding residential areas sit at most 25 feet apart, that details worked out in the legislative agreement remain the same after council approval and that the usual timeframes for expiring applications be followed.

Jason Sandburg, an architect with the group the church hired to design the temple, spoke about “guiding principles” that were considered during the project.

“We made an effort to make this temple unique to the Heber Valley,” he said. 

He explained the design team took inspiration from early church buildings in the area, as well as plants adorning the surrounding mountains. 

He added that building designers faced the task of considering community concerns, respecting church development rights and working in conjunction with local municipalities. 

“That has been a monumental challenge, as you’re well aware,” he said. 

One area where this struggle was highlighted was when an individual with the county suggested his firm rethink the way they would illuminate the temple. 

After internal debate, designers decided that rather than “washing” the temple in light as is common with LDS temples, they could dial the brightness back and focus on highlighting architectural features.

He showed a diagram to show what he meant. Many temples are lit from top to bottom, their glistening white sides starkly visible against the night. In comparison, the Heber Valley temple looked almost dark. While the image did show light flickering across the walls, it was done with a very sparing approach and left many areas of the building shaded.

The brightest part of the temple, Sandburg said, will be dimmer than county code requires.

Further summarizing the project, he added that the church has offered several “improvements and concessions” to the community within the project. These include the church’s intent to build a roundabout on Center Street, and complete an unfinished trail system in the area.

Compared to the proposed development’s original plans, the church has also decided to lower the temple grounds by about five feet, adjust the structure’s lighting and change certain building materials and colors to reflect light less harshly.

Sandburg answered a few questions, called on a handful of other individuals working on the project and sat down.

Then came time for public comment.

One by one, Wasatch County residents approached the microphone and voiced their opinions to the planning commission, the room chock full of people, the second room nearing capacity and everyone else watching on Zoom.

Some read their statements verbatim. Others used notes to guide their thoughts. A few bold individuals stood up and spoke from the heart. Regardless, everyone expressed their beliefs with the passion of a pastor trying to keep their congregation out of Hell.

Despite officials requesting civility at the beginning of the meeting, interruptions and lash-outs became common.

After being spoken over, one man in support of the temple told those with concerns about the project that, if they had their way, the finished building would be made of legos.

Another said he represented the groundwater that would be lost due the project and recommended everyone clap after his comments. Earlier in the meeting, Sandsburg had explained the water wouldn’t be lost but moved into Lake Creek, with some of it returning to the ground from which it was pumped and the rest not being ruined but displaced. The man did not receive his requested applause.

Jacob Bradshaw, a student at Wasatch County High School, said he was excited to see the building on his way to school. He regarded it as a symbol of service for him and hundreds of his fellow pupils.

Lisa Bahash said the legislative agreement was “offensive” to her and urged the commission to opt for an administrative route of approval. Bruce Van Dusen agreed with her suggestion as did several others.

“Rules are easy to follow,” he said. “We would love to have a temple. Build it according to the rules.”

The steady flow of comments continued until about 10:20 p.m. when the commission decided they had taken a sufficient turn listening and were ready to talk.

But for a moment, they said nothing. Like the vast audience watching them, they found themselves split.

Commission Chair Charles Zuercher eventually expressed a concern many others in the room shared with him. He said he lives close to the building site, likely closer than most of those who were in attendance, and the structure would block his view.

He saw no reason why the building would need a 200 feet steeple.

“It’s so the members are drawn toward heaven,” he recalled. “Look towards Mount Timpanogos if you want to look towards heaven.”

Commission Member Mark Hendricks took a different view, though he recognized both sides and said he believed all arguments were made in good faith.

“Everybody’s trying to do the right thing,” he said. “We all have biases and we all are who we are. … I really believe you will hear votes and opinions from people that are sincere and are trying to do the right thing.”

He pointed out how a common theme in several concerns expressed about the temple were that they were not actually about a temple, but rather its size and location. People weren’t trying to block the religious building altogether, he said.

He then gave a rather simple explanation for both the size and the location — the church wants to build a temple on the land they own, and they want it to be tall. Unless there was a basis to deny it from doing so, he said he didn’t feel comfortable voting against recommending the project to the council.

Associate Commission Member Doug Hronek largely agreed with Hendricks. He felt that many of the concessions the church has made have been overlooked by the community.

Attending only as a voice through the miracle of Zoom, Commission Member Scott Brubaker added that the majority of the comments he has been sent about the temple are in favor of the project.

“I think we ought to pass it on,” he said.

As could be expected, the commission’s decision was met with relief from some and anger from others.

“The decision is up to the County Council,” Zuercher told the crowd as he brought the five-and-a-half hour evening to an end. “You definitely need to attend that meeting.”