Phoenix Arizona Mormon Temple

Plans to build a new temple in Phoenix, Arizona, USA, were announced by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon Church) on 24 May 2008.  Though preliminary plans for the architecture of this temple have been drawn up, no location has been formally announced.  However, local wards conjecture that the chosen location is in northwest Phoenix, on Pinnacle Peak Road, where the Church has purchased property.

The announcement came less than a month following the announcement that temples would be built in Gilbert, Arizona, and in Arizona’s Gila Valley. A temple in Phoenix will decrease travel time for members in the northern and western areas of Phoenix, who currently attend the Mesa Arizona Temple, which serves 74 stakes throughout much of the state. The Mesa temple is attended by more patrons than any other temple outside of Utah.

In late summer 2010, The Church announced redesign plans for the temple.  The new design lowers the building by 6 feet, meaning the temple will be 30 feet high. In turn, the church spire will be 90 feet high.  The previously proposed plan had a 40 foot building with an 86 foot spire, but neighbors complained that the building would block their view of the mountains.

Once the church receives the necessary permits, construction will take about two years.

Updates

The LDS Church announced in March 2011 that work on the temple would begin that month.  [1]  Phoenix Arizona Temple will be  a 58,000-square-foot, 30-foot-tall, single-story building with a basement. The site is at 5220 W. Pinnacle Peak Road, next to the Church’s existing meetinghouse.  The city issued permits for vegetation removal, construction of a temporary parking lot, fencing and drainage early in March.  The Mormon congregation that meets in the existing chapel on the building site was moved to a Glendale facility to avoid parking problems while the temple is under construction. The congregation consists of 180 families.  Neighbors have been protesting the construction plans, due to concerns over adequate parking, increase of traffic, night lighting, and the height of the spire. The protests have delayed construction by about a year.

More information: LDS Church Temples.com

Adequate parking at the Phoenix Temple?