JOLIET – Catholic Charities no longer plans to move into the old diocesan chancery building.

The move would have marked the first use of the old Diocese of Joliet headquarters since offices were relocated to Crest Hill in late 2013.

Executive Director Glenn Van Cura said Catholic Charities now is working on a lease to keep its Head Start administration offices in the current location in downtown Joliet.

That building at Cass and Ottawa streets also was formerly owned by the diocese, but was sold to Joliet real estate developer John Bays.

Van Cura said Catholic Charities would reconsider the old chancery building if it cannot reach a lease agreement at Cass and Ottawa streets, but he expects to remain there.

“I hope to have it worked out with John Bays by sometime next week,” he said.

Meanwhile, the new owners of the diocese property plan to continue with the zoning variance that has been sought for the chancery building for Catholic Charities. The variance goes to the City Council for a vote Tuesday.

Even though the building at 425 Summit St. has been used for diocese offices since the 1960s, the site kept its high-density, multifamily zoning.

Phil Soto, part of the group that owns the property, said he wants the variance so he can continue to market the property for office space.

“It’s going to be an office building,” Soto said. “I’m not going to chop it up into [a single room occupancy] and create multiple units.”

Soto's group, Sehring Property Holdings, plans to convert the former tribunal building on the site to a winery. The 19th-century limestone house was built by brewer Frederick Sehring, who lived there before it was acquired by the Diocese of Joliet and became the bishop's house.

Soto said he will need to seek zoning for the winery plans.