A $10 million proposal to convert the former St. Elizabeth Catholic School on North Side into 92 affordable apartments for the elderly and disabled has been sidelined, at least for the time being.

Dr. Victor L. Davis, longtime pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Church Hill, has withdrawn his request for city approval to renovate the vacant, decaying building in the 1000 block of Fourqurean Lane in Highland Park.

Dr. Davis proposed the development as president of the Canaan Housing Foundation, whose mission, he said, “is to provide housing for the elderly.”

The foundation was involved in the mid-1990s conversion of the former Bowler and Bacon elementary schools in Church Hill into 132 apartments.

Dr. Davis did not respond to requests for comment. However, attorney William K. Lewis notified the city Planning Commission last month that Canaan is “reviewing contract matters that may affect the property and does not wish to proceed” with a requested zoning change needed to advance the project.

A company called Chestnut Commons LLC is the listed owner of the 2-acre property near the Hotchkiss Recreation Center, according to city records.

This is at least the second time a plan to transform the old school building has died.

The withdrawal is good news for some neighbors, who fought transformation of the moldering building into modern apartments. Foes prefer single-family homes rather than apartment housing.

The controversy spilled into the city’s Next Door blog for community residents. One example was a comment from Karen Link: “This community continues to saturate its real estate with low-income, assisted living (projects), barbershops (and) and corner stores that provide junk food, beer and cigarettes.”

She drew support from other residents. Jeanne Boisineau commented online that a proposal to replace a derelict building with modern apartments would boost traffic and diminish the value of her home.

The school used to be part of nearby St. Elizabeth Catholic Church, 2712 2nd Ave., a predominantly black parish that counts among its parishioners U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine. The school operated from 1951 to 1982 before being closed, according to the church’s history.