BY JIMMY LAWTONNorth Country This Week

OGDENSBURG – St. Mary’s Church has withdrawn its request to rezone the long-closed St. Marguerite D’Youville Academy, ending weeks of debate over the future of the Gates Street property.

City Council had planned to continue a public hearing on the shuttered Catholic school, which church leaders hoped to rezone from an Adaptive Reuse District to Moderate-Density Residential to make the site easier to sell.

The planning board recommended the change 5‑0 in early January, but members of the public responded with harsh criticism about the rezoning, specifically in regards to rumors that the property was being considered as an option for a housing project proposed by Step By Step Inc.

 The rezoning ordinance had been tabled in late January pending guidance from the city’s Board of Ethics, as five of the seven councilors are members of the Catholic Church, which owns the property.

The ethics board ruled that the council could indeed vote on the matter, however that point is currently moot, unless a request comes before the council again in the future.

The decision to pull the zoning request came from the public's reaction.

Rev. Joseph Morgan, rector of St. Mary’s, clarified the church’s position in a letter read by Mayor Michael Tooley on Monday

“It appears that misinformation and discriminatory attitudes have swayed the reception of this request,” Morgan wrote.

He said the church has no further use for the property and plans to put it on the market. Once current programs conclude in May, the driveways will be gated, the yard fenced, and the building marked “no tespassing.”

Morgan’s letter came after neighbors raised concerns that the property could be purchased by the nonprofit STEP By STEP., which provides supportive housing for adults experiencing or at risk of homelessness. Many people who spoke offered harsh descriptions as well as discriminatory and threatening statements regarding  the people who use STEP By STEPs services.

The organization has a history in the city, acquiring the former Lincoln School in 2018 for a housing and warming center, completing a $5.2 million apartment project in 2022 adding 20 supportive units for adults with mental illness, and breaking ground in 2025 on a 42-unit permanent supportive housing development. The organization is also exploring potential sites for a temporary supervised living project in partnership with the Office of Mental Health, although no location has been chosen.

Access to the  long-closed school will likely be restricted based on the letter as the property is now caught between neighborhood concerns, and politics..

Later in the meeting councilors discussed STEP by STEP and projects aimed at housing the homelessness, assisted living and treatment centers. The discussion veered into the possibility of putting  a moratorium on such projects due to the toll STEP by STEP’s facility takes on public services, specifically police, who have responded to hundreds of calls at the locations over the past few years.

No action was taken, but City Manager Fonda Chronis said the moratorium option was being explored but didn’t elaborate.