IRONDEQUOIT, N.Y. (WROC) – Plans to redevelop the former St. Thomas School in Irondequoit are taking a step forward after years of legal hurdles and some pushback from neighbors. The school, adjacent from St. Thomas The Apostle Catholic Church, has sat vacant for over a decade. That’s now expected to change back to the project’s original timeline.
For about five years, 43 North Real Estate has planned to transform the property into 16 to 18 upscale, market-rate apartments.
As lead developer Joel Barrett explained, the company recently crossed a significant legal challenge.“The State Supreme Court upheld the towns’ granting of our use variance. Then, they appealed that decision and went to an appellate division of the state courts. We did put it on hold after this 12-month period of time, after we gained our last municipal approval. Awaiting the outcome of this use variance challenge, and now that that hurdle has been cleared, we feel confident we can go forward with the project as a whole,” said Barrett…