Sacramento California Temple Wiki

Quick Facts

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Description

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History

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Announcement

Location Announcement

The location of the temple was announced Friday, December 21, 2001, as property adjacent to the Mormon Center (a meetinghouse in the Fair Oaks California Stake) at 2100 California Circle in Rancho Cordova.^[2]”Sacramento temple site announced,” Church News 5 Jan. 2002, 29 Oct. 2002 <http://www.desnews.com/cgi-bin/libstory_church?dn02&0201070024>. The site is located near Folsom, 20 miles east of downtown Sacramento on Highway 50. The large parcel of land was once owned by Aerojet General Corp. for use as a recreational center. During a large downsize of the company in the 1970s, the Church was able to acquire the property where a chapel was built onto the existing gym and other areas converted to classrooms. It has provided for numerous church activities including sand volleyball, picnics, camping, and ward group activities. The beautiful piece of property is on a hill overlooking the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The majestic oak trees surrounding the site create a serene natural setting.^[3]Jeanie Bennett, “Sacramento California Temple site,” Email to Rick Satterfield, 1 Oct. 2001. The proposed temple is 58,000 square-feet, larger than most recently completed temples. Additional building details will be released as plans are prepared for submission to the city. The temple is expected to serve 73,400 members in northern California.

Plans for the temple were modified in Fall 2002 to follow the same design used by the Newport Beach California Temple. The change in size reduced the estimated maintenance costs to approximately 1/10 the original costs. The 17,500 square-foot plan features two endowment rooms, each seating 48 patrons, and unique landscaping to reflect its surroundings.^[4]Kent V. Wood, “Sacramento CA temple,” Email to Rick Satterfield via Paul Funk, 22 Oct. 2002.

Render Released

On August 14, 2003, the 11-member Rancho Cordova Community Planning Advisory Council voted unanimously to recommend the county’s approval of the proposed temple. Before casting his vote, council member, Frank McCarthy, expressed his support for the Church, which is willing to clean up “the ugliest stretch of Highway 50.” Opponents, on the other hand, feared the adverse effects of illuminating the building at nights (5 a.m. to dawn and dusk until 11 p.m.), specifically the 131-foot spire, which the Church agreed to lower 20 feet from its originally proposed 151-foot spire. Members of the Lake Natoma Community Task Force say the spire will negatively impact views; others claim that the lighting would attract birds, causing them to fly endlessly around the spire until possibly colliding with the building. Proponents note that the nearby lighted Folsom Automall and the car lights along Highway 50 far outdo the proposed lighting of the temple. Principal engineer, Brian Everett, explained that a precedent on area lighting was set when the automall was constructed. “The temple’s light will not flash, blink nor glare,” he said, explaining the controls that would restrict excess light. Church members pointed out the community benefits of temples, which attract visitors and increase revenues for local businesses.^[5]Lakiesha McGhee, “Planners absolve Mormon temple,” The Sacramento Bee 24 Aug. 2003, 26 Aug. 2003 <http://www.sacbee.com/content/community_news/folsom_cordova/story/7287296p-8231890c.html>.

Sacramento County adopted a Negative Declaration for the Use Permit, which dimissed the requirement to prepare an Environmental Impact Report. The declaration was open for public comment during a review period that began October 24, 2003, and ended November 13, 2003. The Use Permit is a request to allow operation of the existing meetinghouse and to add the 17,500-square-foot temple, distribution center, and two caretaker residences.^[6]County of Sacramento, Department of Environmental Review and Assessment, “Notice of Intent to Adopt a Negative Declaration,” DERA 24 Oct. 2003, 3 Feb. 2004 <http://www.dera.saccounty.net/Docs/PublicNotices/active%20notices/030341NOI.pdf>.

On March 22, 2004, the County of Sacramento Project Planning Commission approved the Use Permit for the temple in a unanimous 3-0 vote.^[7]County of Sacramento, Project Planning Commission, “Action Summary,” Meeting Agendas: County of Sacramento, California, U.S.A 22 Mar. 2004, 25 Mar. 2004 <http://www.webagendas.saccounty.net/projectcomm/2004/Action%20Summary/projaction03-22-04.htm>. The three Commissioners (two of the five being absent) heard extensive testimony from both proponents and opponents of the project. Arguments centered on the Commissioners’ concerns over the steeple’s height, mass, and lighting. County staff noted that within the county zoning ordinances, no height limit is imposed on church steeples. Satisfied that opponents did not demonstrate a basis for imposing such a limit, no change to the temple was requested. The Commissioners were similarly pleased by a photograph of the soft, nighttime lighting used by the Redlands California Temple. To ensure that the illumination would not be switched for harsher lighting in the future, however, the Commissioners asked whether the Church would agree to a maximum-illumination clause (4 foot-candles max. on the building and 9 on the steeple) as condition for approval of the Use Permit. The Church agreed. At the conclusion of discussion, the feeling among those present was that of appeasement.^[8]Evan Eickmeyer, “Sacramento Temple news,” Email to Rick Satterfield, 23 Mar. 2003.

Groundbreaking Announced

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Groundbreaking

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Construction Commencement

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Finial

capstone, moroni, finial

Dedication announced

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Open House

Dedication

Dedicatory Order

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Announcement

Commenced

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Construction

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Open House, Dedication Announced

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Open House

Rededication

Rededicatory Prayer (link)

Scope

The known scope of this renovation is as follows

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Firsts

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Myths

Myth Name

Story

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Reality

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Presidents and Matrons

Temple President	Temple Matron	Years Served
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Details

Location

Site

Exterior

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[single exterior version]

Symbolism

Inscription

Cornerstone

Spires and Finial

Spires

Finial

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Interior

[multi-interior version]

Contractors

Region

TEMPLES IN UTAH _{by county}

Box Elder	1	Brigham City
Cache	2	Logan · Smithfield
Carbon	1	Price
Davis	3	Bountiful · Layton · Syracuse
Iron	1	Cedar City
Salt Lake	6	Draper · Jordan River · Oquirrh Mountain · Salt Lake · Taylorsville · West Jordan
San Juan	1	Monticello
Sanpete	2	Ephraim · Manti
Tooele	1	Deseret Peak
Uintah	1	Vernal
Utah	8	Lehi · Lindon · Mount Timpanogos · Orem · Payson · Provo Rock Canyon · Provo City Center · Saratoga Springs
Wasatch	1	Heber Valley
Washington	2	Red Cliffs · St. George
Weber	1	Ogden

Sources and Citations