The GSA's Len Murphy tells GlobeSt.com that the property is the government's preferred site for the courthouse. Assuming a 120-day environmental review shows no concerns, Murphy says the transaction will close around the first of the year. The purchase price is not being revealed until the sale is consummated, says Murphy.

A rusting reminder of the tech wreck, the six-story skeleton at Fourth and San Antonio streets was on its way to being a chip design center when Intel halted construction in 2001 due to deteriorating market conditions; the project was called off altogether early last year.

Murphy says the GSA was given a $13.8-million site and design allowance for the courthouse project in FY2003 and that the agreed upon purchase price for the Intel property won't require any additional funds. The rest of the $76 million is expected in FY2005, he says, with project completion slated for 2008. The lead designer for the project is Atlanta-based Mack Scoggin Merrill Elam, which is handling the work in a joint venture with Austin-based Page Sutherland Page.