WATERVLIET — The City Council voted 3-0 Tuesday night to rezone the 3.5-acre St. Patrick's Church site, clearing the way for the historic building to be knocked down and replaced with a grocery store.

Citizens for St. Patrick's vowed to continue its fight to rescue the historic church, an example of 19th-century Gothic Revival ecclesiastical architecture, from demolition.

The council's unanimous decision to rezone the site to business from residential was expected by supporters and opponents. The rezoning decision is expected to be challenged in court.

"It will be fought. This just the beginning. We're not quitters," said Christine Bulmer, a spokeswoman for the grassroots organization opposed to the church's demise.

Barring successful court action, Nigro Companies will be able to proceed with its plans to build a 39,570-square-foot Price Chopper supermarket and two smaller commercial buildings encompassing 5,700 square feet at the 515 19th St. location.

"We did a very thorough job of looking at the project," Mayor Michael Manning said.

Councilman Nick Foglia said, "It was not an easy decision."

The council opted for economic developing and seeing the Price Chopper project as a catalyst for boosting the 19th Street commercial corridor.

About 125 people attended the council's special meeting. Parishioners from Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish and Citizens for St. Patrick's supporters packed the senior citizen center. Parishioners applauded after the council finished voting.

"I'm pleased with it. There are some legal issues we're going to have to face yet," said the Rev. L. Edward Deimeke, pastor of Immaculate Heart of Mary.

John Nigro of Nigro Companies was pleased with the council's decision after eight months of public meetings and studies. He said his firm would deal with the legal challenges as they arose.

Nigro Companies' plans call for razing the church, rectory, school and six residences to clear the site for the supermarket and the two other buildings.

The former St. Patrick's Parish closed as part of the consolidation of six parishes in Watervliet and Green Island into the Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish. This consolidation was a precursor of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany to merge more than 30 parishes due to declining attendance in urban communities.

Citizens for St. Patrick's members observed that Watervliet's St. Patrick's appears to be the only shuttered church to be torn down for commercial development.

The city's environmental assessment findings repeated the argument that the deteriorating condition of the historic church would lead to its collapse. It also stated that it would cost $4 million to stabilize the edifice.

And in the tightly packed city where a 3.5-acre parcel available for development is an unusual occurrence, the economic impact was stressed.

"The proposed project will create needed commercial/business growth in an area of the city identified for such use and needed by the city," according to findings in the state environmental assessment form completed for the City Council. "The project seeks to redevelop vacant and non-utilized deteriorating structures in a mixed-use area that is targeted by the comprehensive plan as a commercial overlay district, as well as a possible Central Business District," the findings continue.

The rezoning resolution approved by the council addressed what is considered to be a major legal matter for fighting the rezoning in court. The resolution specifically noted that "the proposed action is not spot zoning," which occurs when a property is rezoned to the benefit of its owner but at the expense of neighbors.

Albany County Planning Board members raised this as a possible issue in their June discussions of the project. Rosemary Nichols, an attorney, former city deputy general manager and advisor to the citizens group, said at the time this would be a legal matter for a future lawsuit.

kcrowe@timesunion.com • 518-454-5084 • @KennethCrowe