Ogden » The Internal Revenue Service's growing presence, which has spread from its original 12th Street location to encompass 12 buildings in the downtown area, is not slowing.

The agency and the General Services Administration are negotiating with the city of Ogden to purchase two more buildings on land in the redevelopment area between Wall Avenue-Washington Boulevard and 21th-25st streets.

Both are older structures, according to local IRS spokeswoman Julie Thompson. One is the former Ogden Blue Print building on 24th Street near the Wall Avenue intersection. It will be torn down and a new structure built. A smaller adjacent building, once housing offices for the Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad, will be restored.

The buildings will add 100,000 square feet to the agency's city footprint.

They will house personnel with similar functions who now work in areas that are widely separated, Thompson said.

-- John Keahey