Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are particularly excited that construction on the state’s fourth Mormon temple soon will get underway in northeast Colorado Springs.

But anyone will be able to bask in the spiritual waves that will emanate from the site, according to Jordan Steel, a member since 2010.

“It’s something very special — it represents heaven on earth and feels different from anything around us,” he said. “This is going to be a huge blessing for our community. Whether you can go inside or just visit the grounds, it’s a safe haven to find peace and refuge.”

The 18.6-acre site at Flying Horse Club Drive and Barossa Valley Road in the upscale Flying Horse Ranch development has been fenced and leveled, a new retaining wall is in place and the land is otherwise ready for a Sept. 12 groundbreaking.

Colorado Springs Mayor Yemi Mobolade and Colorado Congressman Jeff Crank plan to attend the ceremony, organizers said.

Religious leaders, political figures, education officials, business representatives, military and local congregants are among the 500 guests who have been invited, said Mike Law, communications director for the Colorado Springs Coordinating Council, which covers southern Colorado.

The ceremony will include talks and dedicatory prayer.

Construction will get underway immediately following the groundbreaking, Law said.

The project is expected to take three to four years for Big D Construction based in Lindon, Utah, to complete.

The site will include a 33,000-square-foot temple with a separate meeting house and a maintenance building, along with immaculate landscaping and attention to detail throughout.

The temple will feature a Pikes Peak-inspired design of natural granite aggregate and artistic glass, officials announced last year.

The church has 241 dedicated temples worldwide and another 169 under construction or announced and being planned.

The intention to build a house of worship in the Flying Horse subdivision dates to 2012, when church officials purchased several vacant lots at 2396 Veneto Way and the property was rezoned for use as a “religious institution.”

The church began its quest to bring the project to fruition in 2023, after the president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced Colorado Springs was on the list for a new temple, where spiritual ceremonies and covenants such as baptisms and weddings are held.

The location was announced publicly in May 2025, but the project got off to a rocky start.

City staff gave administrative approval to the proposed development plan on Nov. 6, 2025, saying the design was consistent with code requirements.

A neighbor appealed, objecting to the height of the traditional 140-foot spire from finished grade level, plans for illuminating the top of the spire and whether irritating reflection would be an issue.

The city planning commission also approved the proposal but added conditions. An attorney for the church filed an appeal objecting to the caveats.

The legal team argued the church already had made significant concessions based on feedback from neighbors, whose views led to adding camouflage landscaping and other considerations to minimize impacts.

Attorneys and other supporters said further restrictions would interfere with the religious significance of certain elements such as the spire, which moves the eyes of onlookers heavenward.  

After a three-hour meeting on Feb. 10, the Colorado Springs City Council unanimously approved the church’s original development plan.

The primary opposer then threatened to file a lawsuit.

The upshot: “Our folks got together with them, and the parties resolved all the issues and concerns they had,” Law said.

And the design remains the same as initially proposed.

“We’re feeling blessed to have a temple coming to Colorado Springs,” said Steel, who works as a civilian professor of microbiology at the U.S. Air Force Academy.

“The world is so chaotic, and the temple is simple and pure and points you to heaven,” he said. “It will be a visually beautiful building that represents the purpose in life and where everyone can feel that peace and love.”

The Colorado Springs temple will serve 22,400 members who are divided into five stakes in Colorado Springs and one in Pueblo. Each stake consists of six to 12 wards, or congregations.

Statewide, there are about 150,000 Latter-day Saints, who are also referred to as Mormons though the church prefers the full name.

The church is growing regionally and globally, Law said, with membership topping 17.5 million worldwide in 2024 and convert baptisms reaching their highest level in nearly three decades, according to statistics released at the denomination’s April general conference.

As construction progresses, church officials will provide weekly updates to the community, Law said.

And tours of the construction site will be available at certain points, Steel said.

The area is packed with activity. Concurrent with the temple materializing, the city’s Powers Boulevard Extension Project is ongoing.

The major corridor is being expanded northward from Highway 83 to Voyager Parkway, which includes construction of multiple bridges ahead of roadway improvements.

“This critical corridor will improve mobility, reduce congestion and better connect northeast Colorado Springs with Interstate 25 and surrounding communities,” the city said in a news release issued earlier this year.

“They’re right next to each other,” Law said of the temple and road work.

When the temple is finished, a public open house will be held for the community at large to tour the inside. It will be the only opportunity for people who are not Mormons to visit the interior.

After its dedication for temple service, entry then will be “reserved for people who are living in harmony with God’s laws,” Steel said.

“We’re just so grateful for our friends and neighbors in the Flying Horse community and the entire Colorado Springs community for this opportunity to have a beautiful temple in our midst,” Law said.