BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — LDS Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints proposed 124-foot steeple sparks community concerns in Bakersfield.
- The LDS Church proposes to build a 124-foot steeple in Bakersfield.
- The proposed height goes against local building guidelines.
- Nearby residents express concerns about the impact on the community.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
The LDS Church plans on building its 124-foot steeple right here in Northwest Bakersfield. Some neighbors around here are raising concerns about it.
The neighborhood of Brighton Parks is a 55 and up community with a little over 420 single-level homes.
With recent news of the LDS Church of Jesus Christ Latter-day Saints wanting to build a 124-foot steeple right next to the neighborhood, some of the community members are concerned.
Mike Burnett is the chair of the Ad Hoc committee in his neighborhood and he says, "We are happy to have them here. We have no issue with them breaking ground tomorrow, but we would like them to be living within the existing rules of the existing zoning like all of us had to."
The Bakersfield building code allows for buildings to have a maximum of 60 feet in height and they have to be 150 feet away from a residential neighborhood.
The Ad Hoc committee also says they are worried that if the temple is built and lit like other LDS temples are known to be, the light would violate the Bakersfield Municipal Code of outdoor lighting.
Merrill Dibble, is the stake president for the Bakersfield stake of the LDS Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and he says, the church has been established in Kern County for many decades. He adds that there are approximately 10,000 members of the church who live in Bakersfield and the surrounding areas. He also says it's up to the environmental impact study to determine the outcome of how the temple will be built.
"There are some religious exemptions for our structures that don't always coincide with the city ordinance for a habitable structure. So the city will take all that into account and will follow and live by what the city decides." Dibble said.
The LDS Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints held an open house to educate the neighborhood. However, some of the members felt the church hadn't done enough to address their concerns.
"They had their plans for us to see, but they contain no change whatsoever to the original plan of 124 feet, brightly lit." Burnett said.
However, Dibble says the open houses have been successful. "We appreciate them engaging with us. We've had good dialogue with them so they can understand where we are coming from and the importance of a steeple for us that points towards heaven and brings us closer to Jesus Christ. We want that to be an important part of the architecture and believe that it will fit well inside this community."
The city has selected a consultant, Impact Service Inc., and the city expects that the contract will go to the city council sometime next month.
The city says the city council must approve the contract before the review can begin.
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