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Editor’s note: This story has been corrected to say that the council on Thursday delayed consideration of a purchase agreement for the Fresno Bee building.

The Fresno City Council pushed back until November the $5.75 million purchase agreement of the former Fresno Bee building in Downtown Fresno on Thursday, according to a city spokesperson.

City officials plan to relocate the Department of Public Utilities into the 220,000 square-foot building that sits on 14.83 acres at 1625 G St. The city plans to consolidate office space, warehousing, maintenance shops and equipment for the Water Division, Solid Waste Management Division, Utilities Planning and Engineering, as well as Administration services.

The current property owner is listed as 1626 Fresno MRP, LLC, which is connected to the McClatchy Company Retirement Plan. McClatchy is the parent company of the Fresno Bee.

McClatchy was recently purchased by hedge fund Chatham Asset Management. Employee pensions were a point of contention during bankruptcy and purchase negotiations.

The Fresno Bee left the building in early 2020 and moved into the Bitwise 41 building shortly before the pandemic. Since the pandemic and work from home orders, Fresno Bee staffers have worked from home.