Lawsuit filed to stop demolition of St. Patrick's

WATERVLIET A local group has sued the City Council to halt the demolition of St. Patrick's Church claiming the city has violated local and state laws in approving development plans.

Citizens for St. Patrick's and 20 residents maintain in legal papers that the City Council failed to comply with the city zoning code, the state Environmental Quality Review Act, the state Open Meetings Law and general municipal law when it rezoned the 3.5-acre church site on 19th Street.

They also claim the council undertook spot zoning when the historic church site was rezoned to business from residential.

The lawsuit, filed last week, asks state Supreme Court in Albany County to stop any demolition or development at the church site, revoke the rezoning, and void the declaration of negative environmental significance for the property by the council.

Nigro Companies has proposed building a 40,000-square-foot Price Chopper supermarket and two smaller commercial buildings on the property. The firm needed the rezoning, unanimously approved by the council in November, to proceed with the project.

Nigro has applied to the city for demolition permits to knock down the church, rectory, school and residences.

Citizens for St. Patrick's also has filed a notice of appeal to overturn a judge's decision to permit the sale of the church property. Nigro, through a subsidiary, paid $1 million to buy the property from a church corporation affiliated with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany.

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Lawsuit filed to stop demolition of St. Patrick's