Temple height could drop 10 feet

June Casagrande

Hoping to create harmony out of the city’s most contentious

project this year, Councilman Steve Bromberg said he plans to make a

motion at tonight’s City Council meeting to reduce the height of a

proposed Mormon temple steeple to 90 feet, a height the church has

agreed to.

“We’ve really needed a healing process,” Bromberg said. “Now

things have taken such a good tone. I think people are going to walk

out of this meeting shaking hands.”

Bromberg, whose council district includes the temple site, met

with church representatives earlier this month to convey some

opponents’ feelings that the church was not negotiating in good

faith.

During the Planning Commission approval process, it was revealed

that the steeple height of the existing stake center was 68 feet,

instead of the 86 feet noted in planning documents. Church officials

have said that the temple steeple must be more prominent than that of

the stake center steeple to fulfill its objective as a holy site

where marriages and other ceremonies are performed.

A church official and a church architect conceded that they had

been aware of the discrepancy but did not point it out.

Church leaders had already agreed to tone down the color of the

building, to reduce the hours and intensity of the lighting and to

reduce the steeple’s height from 124 feet to just under 100 feet. In

hopes of soothing bruised feelings and pleasing neighbors, church

leaders have agreed to take down their steeple another 10 feet.

“We’re hoping that we can all be united in this as a blessing to

our neighborhood,” said Weatherford Clayton, president of the Church

of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ Newport Beach stake. “Our

belief is that everyone will be able to support this as a beautiful

addition to our neighborhood.”

The Planning Commission last month approved the temple with a

steeple lowered to 99 feet 9 inches. A group of residents, angry

about the discrepancy, appealed the matter to the City Council.

Ken Wong, who filed the appeal, could not be reached Monday

afternoon. When he filed the appeal earlier this month, Wong said

that the group of homeowners in the appeal did not have a specific

height limit in mind.

Steven Brombal, president of the Bonita Canyon Homeowners Assn.,

said he would wait until after tonight’s proceedings to take a

position on the temple. Though the homeowners’ association was not

part of the appeal, Brombal has been vocal in trying to secure a

compromise he believes is fair to residents.

“Ninety feet is definitely better than 124,” Brombal said. “Is 90

feet the best we can do? At this point, it probably is.”

* JUNE CASAGRANDE covers Newport Beach and John Wayne Airport.

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

june.casagrande@latimes.com.