Fresno County is still trying to sell the former University Medical Center complex in southeast Fresno.
But due to a clerical error, the county will not be able to consider any offers until next month.
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The backstory: In 2019 Fresno County initially agreed to sell the former UMC property in southeast Fresno to CMG Construction for $4 million to construct affordable housing.
- The county also entered into a regulatory agreement with the City of Fresno to oversee the development, but the city backed out of the deal in 2021 due to a conflict of interest surrounding Steve Rapada, the former chief of staff for Fresno County Supervisor Sal Quintero. Rapada was a paid consultant for CMG Construction while working for Quintero. He was sentenced to a misdemeanor violation of conflict of interest in February 2022.
- Later in 2021 the Fresno City Council moved forward with an offer to purchase the property with the intent to build affordable housing, but the city and county were never able to agree to a deal through June 2022.
- In April the county once again declared the property as surplus land, but did not receive any offers during the period that expired on June 12.
The big picture: In July, the Fresno County Board of Supervisors voted to extend the sale date of the former UMC property to Tuesday.
- Per the rules of selling surplus property, the county has to publish a notice once a week for at least three weeks before being able to agree to a deal.
- But the county didn’t meet the requirements for the public notice because of a clerical error, making it so the board could not consider any offers on Tuesday.
- Tuesday, the board unanimously voted to set Oct. 10 as the revised sale date, meaning all offers for the former UMC building – if there are any at all – will have to be in by then.
What they’re saying: Supervisor Buddy Mendes said, “It’s kind of like Yogi Berra’s famous quote: ‘It’s déjà vu all over again.’”
