On October 1, 2023, the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Russell M. Nelson, announced the construction of 20 new temples, including one in my hometown of Colorado Springs, Colorado.
According to public records, the Church owns approximately 18.6 acres of land spread over three adjoining parcels at 2396 Vento Way. It has owned the land since 2012, which is still undeveloped.
This property seems like the perfect land to build a meetinghouse and a small temple. For example, the newly dedicated Bentonville Arkansas temple sits next to a stake center on an 18.5-acre parcel of land.
I also took the time to map out the closest meetinghouses and the number of wards using in each building. The red star is the location of the suspected temple site. You can see it sits as a focal point between several other meetinghouses, all of which are at capacity with 3-4 wards sharing each building. Since the Northgate area of Colorado Springs is still a high-growth residential area, an additional chapel (and possibly a new stake) will almost certainly be needed in the near future.
However, I recognize this location would have some drawbacks as a potential temple site. First, it’s in the northernmost part of Colorado Springs and is only 45 minutes from the Denver Colorado Temple, which is in the southernmost part of the metro Denver area. While an improvement in transportation time to a House of the Lord for southern Colorado, a location in south Colorado Springs would make it more accessible to Church members from cities to the south. Of course, I am sure the Church will eventually announce an additional temple or temples in southern Colorado, so this may be a short-term concern for the long-term plans of the Church.
Second, this location is in a very wealthy neighborhood that is built around a “country club” aesthetic. I think it’s likely that if a temple were announced to be built in that location, it would receive pushback from residents.
Whatever ends up happening, I am grateful for a temple (finally!) being announced in Colorado Springs.
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