Layton Church Members React To Temple Location Announcement
Jul 15, 2019, 7:24 PM | Updated: 8:48 pm
LAYTON, Utah – The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced the new location for the Layton Utah Temple, and church members in the area said they couldn’t be happier.
The temple will be built on an 11.8-acre site located at the corner of Oak Hills Drive and Rosewood Lane in Layton City, according to church officials.
The temple is going in right across the street from Keri Fawcett.
“This has been like the sweet little country lane of Layton,” said Fawcett.
For 22 years, Fawcett’s little neighborhood has been quiet, but on Monday it was the most popular place in town.
She says she doesn’t really mind that much.
“I am just so thrilled,” said Fawcett. “We are thrilled to death to have a temple next door.”
Fawcett said she knows the people who sold the land to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
“It’s always just felt like a special piece of property,” she said. “My little boy, years and years ago, said to our neighbors who sold the property to the church, ‘There’s going to be a temple or a church on this property someday.’ He just had a feeling about it.”
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Fawcett wasn’t the only one who’s happy about the location.
“It’s really, really special,” said one woman who stopped at the field to look at it. “I can’t believe it’s in my lifetime in Layton.”
President Russell M. Nelson announced a temple would be built in Layton in April 2018, and many people have been eagerly waiting since then to find out where exactly it would be.
“They announced it a while ago, and we’re just going, ‘Are they ever going to say that it’s really happening?’” said Cindy Bennett. “We’re very, very excited.”
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has 164 operating temples around the world. Seventeen of them are in Utah, and 45 more temples have been announced or are under construction.
In addition to the new Layton temple, temples have also been announced in Saratoga Springs, Tooele Valley and Washington County.
“I am so excited that I can live so close to such a holy place,” said 14-year-old Alina Jones, who stopped by the Layton location to take pictures with her family.
The announcement means big changes are coming to the quiet Layton neighborhood, but the people who live nearby said they’re excited to roll out the welcome mat.
“I think our little country road is going to get lost in it, but that’s a sacrifice worth doing,” said Fawcett.
A church spokesperson said detailed design plans for the temple were still being developed, but the Layton temple was expected to be a three-story building and approximately 87,000 square feet.
