With the Portsmouth City Council having passed on acquiring the former Thomas J. McIntyre federal building last month, its owners have launched an auction to sell the property. 

The Portsmouth Herald reports that the General Services Administration, the federal agency that owns most of the government’s buildings, plans to complete the sale by the fall. 

The decision to move forward with the auction comes after a long-running and contentious attempt for the city to acquire the property for $1 through a landmarked structures program collapsed. Development team Redgate/Kane sued the city, and two successive city elections during the multi-year saga saw most of the City Council and the then-sitting mayors turfed out. 

The city could try to submit a bid to the GSA, but it will now be up against private buyers and will have to pay “fair market value.” Portsmouth Mayor Deaglan McEachern indicated to the Herald that city leaders are likely too tired of the battle over the property to make a move.