TROY -- Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's desire to install grass pavers as part of a campus landscaping project has led the university to sue the city of Troy.

RPI is seeking a court ruling to overturn the city's order that it stop installing the pavers because they do not meet the fire code.

"Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute has petitioned New York state Supreme Court in Albany to challenge a June 28 stop-work order issued by the city of Troy for site work planned on the south side of the Alan M. Voorhees Computing Center on the Institute campus," Claude Rounds, RPI's vice president for administration, said in a statement Tuesday.

"We have not received a copy of the lawsuit and cannot comment," said Jeff Pirro, a spokesman for Mayor Harry Tutunjian.

At issue is the installation of grass pavers, which are described in the RPI lawsuit as "a porous paving system designed to create code-compliant fire access lanes where ecologically sensitive drainage is desired and the aesthetics of landscaped green space is important."

The Troy Fire Department has maintained that the pavers and how they are plowed in the winter pose a danger to city firefighters. The issues dates to late 2009, when RPI began its work on the project.

RPI says the pavers can handle up to 80,000 pounds and are "fully capable of supporting all firefighting equipment, vehicles and apparatus."

The city issued the stop-work order halting the project. When RPI was unable to obtain a city Zoning Board of Appeals review of the work it went to court. The city maintained in a letter to RPI that the ZBA did not have to review the project and that the proper procedure was to go through the city's code enforcement office. "We were in the process of fulfilling a compliance plan with the New York Office of Fire Prevention and Control when we received the stop work order.

Since then the city has failed to provide us with a response to our efforts to resolve the situation," Rounds said.

RPI argues in the lawsuit that it has complied with the state and local codes for the project. Rounds said, "We feel we have satisfied all requirements under state fire code as well as the requirements of city of Troy local ordinances, and we look forward to resuming our work at the site."

RPI asks for a court ruling to invalidate the city's stop work order; decide that RPI is not required to obtain city approval or permits for the site work in the state-approved compliance plan; and for any other relief the court may order.