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FORT COLLINS, Colo. -- A city planning board has recommended land for a proposed LDS temple in Fort Collins, Colo., be annexed into the city and rezoned, a move that will allow plans for the 27,000-square-foot temple to advance.
The board made the recommendation Thursday night, as some residents objected to the action.
Planning and Zoning Board members said Thursday their hands are tied, according to the Loveland Reporter-Herald.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced in July that it plans to build the temple at approximately the corner of Trilby Road and Timberline Road in the southeast part of Fort Collins.
Opponents say the area is not suitable for a temple because it is surrounded by a subdivision with a fire station, day-care center, church, farmland and a nature preserve.
The Reporter-Herald says the city planning board previously recommended annexation. Thursday night, the board members recommended the zoning change and reaffirmed their support of the annexation.
The city council is expected to make a final decision soon. If it approves the recommendation, the church would submit a development plan. City planners then would address residents' concerns over things like traffic and wildlife impacts.
Ken Merritt of Landmark Planners, which represents the current land owners, told the paper "development will only improve the issues of transportation, not create additional congestion."
However, resident Scott Rinker advised the council, "Think about if before you ruin the southeast portion of Fort Collins."
The Fort Collins temple will be the church's 158th temple worldwide and the second in Colorado, after Denver.
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Written with contributions from The Associated Press.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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