Hearing on Cody temple rescheduled for June 15

Posted 5/30/23

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ plans to build a temple alongside a Cody neighborhood are now set to be considered at a Thursday, June 15 meeting.

The public hearing …

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Hearing on Cody temple rescheduled for June 15

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The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ plans to build a temple alongside a Cody neighborhood are now set to be considered at a Thursday, June 15 meeting.

The public hearing before the City of Cody’s Planning, Zoning and Adjustment Board special meeting starts at 6 p.m. at the Cody Auditorium.

The meeting had been scheduled for last week, but was delayed at the request of the church. Building the 9,950 square foot temple on the 4.69-acre lot off Skyline Drive requires a conditional use permit in the “rural residential” zoning area. While the main building will be 24 feet high, the church has also requested a variance to the zoning district’s 30-foot height restriction so it can build a 101-foot tower.

The proposal has drawn significant opposition, led by a group of residents who live in the surrounding subdivisions. They formed a group called “Preserve Our Cody Neighborhoods,” which has been circulating a petition that calls for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to find another location for the temple. The group also stationed a 101-foot-high crane near the site to demonstrate what the temple tower might look like.

It’s been the subject of endless debate in local Facebook groups, reaching the point of parody. Fremont Motors salesman Kellen Whitehead took the opportunity to do some marketing.

“Think the temple is going to be tall?! Check out this 2017 Ford F250 Lariat Badlands, lift kit + tires,” Whitehead posted to Cody Area Classifieds. He included a series of photoshopped images that comically replaced the Preserve Our Cody Neighborhoods’ crane with the truck dominating Cody’s skyline.

The post appeared to provide a welcome dose of levity, though one commenter quipped a Dodge Ram “would be more appropriate for Cody’s precious skyline.”

Amid the contention, local church leaders have encouraged their members to be peacemakers.

“In all of this, what will likely be remembered is how we treated others, not what we said,” the Cody Wyoming Stake Presidency wrote on May 14.

But even that message drew criticism, with neighbor Patrick Pitet bristling at the presidency’s remark that “there will be many who lack understanding.”

“I understand that this temple will ruin my property and make it uninhabitable,” Pitet wrote on Cody Area Classifieds, accusing the church of minimizing the impact of the project and of showing “contempt” toward the neighborhood.

Through its architects and engineers, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has said that the temple will be “a valuable addition to the community” and “have a positive aesthetic impact on the surrounding area.”

In addition to the temple building, the site will include an auxiliary building, road and parking area. The church says the city’s existing streets can handle the added traffic and that the temple’s design will minimize lighting impacts and be in-line “with the culture and design style of the Cody area.”

The church has indicated that it will host an open house about its plans ahead of the Planning, Zoning and Adjustment Board meeting.

Barring an appeal to district court, the board will have the final say on the church’s requested permit and variance. Comments from the public will be accepted at the meeting or in advance. To be included in the board’s packet, advance comments should be submitted to todds@codywy.gov, hand-delivered to Cody City Hall or mailed to ATTN: Community Development, PO Box 2200 by no later than Thursday, June 8.

For information, visit codywy.gov/civicalerts.aspx?AID=473.

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