The city may sell its 100-year-old civic building on Ross Street, as part of a Ravenstahl administration plan to get more government properties back onto tax rolls.

The Urban Redevelopment Authority agreed at its board meeting today -- at the John P. Robin Civic Building -- to seek proposals from real estate consultants to study the market for the 13-story brick building at Ross Street and Second Avenue, which houses the URA, the city Housing Authority and city zoning and planning offices.

The city spends more than $1 million yearly on the building, its second largest Downtown after the City-County Building on Grant Street. A new hotel is going up across Ross Street and URA chairman Yarone Zober said the market may be ripe for selling the structure, which was named for Mr. Robin -- another URA chairman -- in 1983.

In other action the URA approved tentative plans for redeveloping the struggling intersection of Federal Street and North Avenue in the North Side. It gave Aiello Development of the Strip District a 6-month option to get financing and plans in place for several storefronts at the northwest corner of the intersection, which would be anchored by a Fifth Third bank. Retail establishments would also be on Federal, with market rate apartments in upper floors.

The board gave the Central Northside Neighborhood Council and the Northside Leadership Conference a six-month window to write redevelopment plans for Garden Theater and adjacent historic properties next-door. The neighborhood groups are working in tandem with Aiello Development on their plans.