Cost estimates on purchasing and renovating the 298,000-sf building run from about $90 million to $105 million. Improvements would include seismic upgrades and meeting space. Qwest officials would like to close the deal by the end of the year and then lease back space until it has completed the relocation of several hundred workers to its 32-story office building located at 1600 Seventh Ave. in downtown Seattle.

If the deal is approved, it's likely the transition to a full-service City Hall, and the relocation of its 500 employees, will not take place until 2004, according to City Manager Steve Sarkozy.

Sarkozy says city services have been delivered from a variety of buildings on the current campus, several of which were not specifically designed for civic business. But attempts to help upgrade public facilities have been nixed by voters in the past.