George said the property where the old church house once stood is a split-zone parcel, the corner piece is zoned for commercial use, and the entire property would need to be rezoned. He said Landmark Partners backed out of the deal because of too much opposition from the city and neighborhood.

"This has been one great big fat pain," he said of the process to sell the land.

Neighborhood Chairman Scott Bingham, who actively participated in efforts to preserve the church building, confirmed the local neighborhood would "stringently" oppose any efforts to rezone the property, but not out of spite for the razing of St. Francis.

"We feel an encroachment of commercial property on our quiet little neighborhood," he said. "Not because we were against the Catholic Church or against Landmark Partners doing a development."

So now the parish is left to wait, George said.

"We're waiting for the right buyer with enough money and enough commitment to take on the neighbors and the city," he said. "Now the neighbors can stare at a hole for a while."

But Boerio-Goates said the parish has stopped hitching their star on the sale of the building. Now they're doing what they can to raise money for their new church, hosting food sales and other fundraising events.

"We're doing something," she said. "We're doing something positive."

The parish will need to raise 60 percent of the cost of building before a new church is approved. The Rev. David Bittmenn, the new parish priest, said a few members are understandably disappointed the new church hasn't been built by now, but mostly they're intent on taking matters into their own hands.

"We know it will happen," he said. "And we're just trying to make it sooner rather than later."

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