Work on a controversial Mormon temple in north Phoenix starts this month, church officials said, after some city permits were issued Friday.
Despite neighborhood opposition, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is moving ahead with its planned Phoenix Arizona Temple, 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.
Phoenix approved site plans in August, but neighbors have continued to try to stop construction, most recently appealing a ruling on parking requirements that sided with the church.
On Friday, the city issued permits for vegetation removal, construction of a temporary parking lot, fencing and drainage.