A closer look -- Temple becomes an issue of high importance

June Casagrande

NEWPORT BEACH -- If it weren’t for the steeple, the Mormon temple

would be a nonissue.

Residents who didn’t like the color of the building and people who

didn’t want it to be brightly lighted around the clock would not have had

any real recourse. But because the spire of the proposed building will

reach 124 feet into the sky, exceeding height limits for the area, the

otherwise simple process for building the temple is an extremely complex

subject of hundreds of pages and dozens of illustrations in a three-inch

thick report.

The project’s draft environmental report made its debut last week for

45 days of public review. Residents -- and there are a lot of them --

concerned about the temple, slated to be built at 2300 Bonita Canyon

Drive, can flip through hundreds of pages of analyses, photos and

scientific study results.

But like so many of life’s complexities, the bottom line is relatively

simple. For the environmental experts who studied the matter, that line

can be summed up in three words: “no significant impact.” For opponents,

the three-word conclusion is: “It doesn’t belong.”

Though the majority of residents concerned about the project have been

reluctant to flat-out oppose it, officials of the Church of Jesus Christ

of Latter-day Saints have been quick in their attempts to appease

neighbors.

Being a good neighbor

For example, they changed the color from a bright white with a shiny

finish to a more muted seashell color with a dull finish that won’t

reflect as much light.

Church planners also toned town the outside lighting. Instead of

24-hour lighting on some parts of the project, they decided that most

building lights will be turned off after 11 p.m.

And they toned down the intensity. In the environmental report, the

technical measurements of light are translated into understandable terms

by comparing the temple with other structures. The temple lights will

measure 1 1/2 “footcandles,” or FTC, on the building, 6 FTC on the

steeple and 12 FTC at the gold statue on top of the steeple.

As comparison, the storefront of the Corona del Mar Plaza is 45 FTC,

the interior showroom wall of Fletcher Jones Motor Cars is 22 and the

entry monument at the Fashion Island Pylons is 40.

Temple planners didn’t have to make any of these changes; the original

color and lighting were already well within city guidelines. Nor did they

have to foot the cost of hiring a $175-an-hour crane to stand on the site

for a week to give residents a visual understanding of how tall the

steeple will be.

But the Mormons are really eager to be liked by their Newport Beach

neighbors. And, perhaps more important, such concessions could persuade

residents to concede on the one point on which church planners just won’t

budge: the spire.

A point that won’t be compromised

The 17,500-square-foot temple adjacent to the church’s existing stake

center on Bonita Canyon Drive, as planned, will be topped by a 121-foot

steeple that in turn will be topped by a golden angel statue, bringing

the height to nearly 124 feet. City standards for the area place a

50-foot height limit on new structures, but the Planning Commission can

grant a permit to exceed the height limit. City guidelines favor churches

over other buildings when considering such permits -- it is standard to

say yes.

But the temple has brought enough controversy that city staff thought

it was necessary to hire an environmental consulting firm to look at the

project. The consultants had a tricky task. Unlike the cut-and-dried

issues these consultants often measure -- things like traffic, parking,

air quality and soil issues -- the temple study was mostly about looks.

Environmental firm LSA Associates focused mainly on the visual effects

of the steeple and the overall look of the building. Though one could

argue they were attempting to measure something that’s in the eye of the

beholder, no one could accuse them of not being thorough.

The environmental report includes computer-generated images of what

the temple will look like from 15 different vantage points nearby. Any

neighbors who want to know how much of their view will be dominated by

the steeple needs only to flip through the report to see images projected

for the immediate future and 10 years from now, when trees will further

obscure the spire.

The images came from photos that were taken when a crane was was

parked on the site to show neighbors how tall the steeple would be.

Surveyors took pictures of the crane from surrounding neighborhoods.

Then, using computers, they inserted an image of the temple.

The consultants also looked closely at the lights on the building, the

traffic it would generate, the effects of the building on air and water

quality, property values and some other factors. Their conclusion: “...

the proposed project will not result in significant impacts.”

A closely watched ending

In fact, as church planners have emphasized, the project also will

bring some benefits. Gardens on the 8 1/2-acre site will include a

waterfall and benches and will be open to the public. Planners have also

tried to paint the project as a thing of beauty that will therefore

benefit residents.

But the biggest concern of those opposed to the project will remain

unchanged. Weatherford Clayton, president of the church’s existing stake

center in Newport Beach, said that only the church’s president in Salt

Lake City has the power to change the steeple height. It’s a touchy

subject. Church members say the steeple has a special religious

significance. Further, the church officials who make the plans are

believed to be directed by God in their decision making. Therefore, they

believe, the predetermined steeple height is divinely inspired.

Whether or not it is acceptable, though, could be determined in the

next month and a half. During the public review period, residents can

contest the report’s findings. But this is not an opportunity for people

to register their feelings on the subject. The public review period is

just to make official the environmental document. The only input that

will carry much weight during this part of the process is evidence that

solidly refutes the consultants’ findings or conclusions.

Residents will continue to have the chance to share any feelings or

opinions on the process at any time, and their comments could factor

heavily into the Planning Commission’s upcoming decision.

The city’s Environmental Quality Affairs Committee has created a

subcommittee to go over the temple report and possibly form an opinion on

the project.

City Councilman John Heffernan, whose district includes the temple

site, has said the project is one of the most important issues to

residents in the area.

“I’ll be watching this very closely,” Heffernan said.

* June Casagrande covers Newport Beach and John Wayne Airport. She may

be reached at (949) 574-4232 or by e-mail at o7

[email protected] .