David Torke—housing activist, blogger, preservationist, documenter of urban decay—thought on Tuesday that he had successfully late-filed a petition with 124 signatures of residents in two Fruit Belt election districts who favored the landmarking of the Trico Plant #1 complex. Of those, 80 were prime voters—that is, voters who can be relied upon to show up at the polls. Torke says so far 100 prime voters, out of 330 identified in those two districts, had been approached, for a success rate of 80 percent.

Alas, the late file was rejected—either by the city clerk’s office or Majority Leader Demone Smith, or both—and did not make it on Tuesday’s agenda. The issue of landmarking was tabled anyway, at the request of Ellicott District Councilman Darius Pridgen, who wants more time to investigate the pros and cons of landmarking the building, which the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus intends to redevelop, possibly entailing partial or complete demolition of the structure. The landmark designation is supposed to come before the Council for a vote on Tuesday, May 15. Landmark designation would give the city’s Preservation Board, which is usually just an advisory body, a greater say in the permitting process for any redevelopment plan BNMC submits to the city for approval.

In the meantime, Torke says, the petition drive will continue.