THOUSAND OAKS : Amgen Interested in City Hall Property

A Thousand Oaks biotechnology firm is in negotiations to buy 18 acres of city-owned property, including the building that now houses City Hall, officials said Friday.

On Tuesday, the City Council will decide whether to enter exclusive negotiations with Amgen to sell the eight-acre City Hall property at 2150 W. Hillcrest Drive and a 10-acre service yard at 1851 De Havilland Drive, Mayor Robert E. Lewis said.

A decision to negotiate exclusively with Amgen would preclude the city from considering offers from another party, Lewis said.

“These are the first serious negotiations,” he said.

Amgen officials say they would like to conclude negotiations before the end of the year, indicating that the city may have to find temporary quarters for City Hall, Lewis said.

The city moved into the interim City Hall in 1987 with plans to return to offices it owns at 401 Hillcrest Drive. Since then, officials have decided to build a new government center at Conejo School Road and Thousand Oaks Boulevard at the site of a former wild animal park.

That building is not expected to be finished until the end of next year at the earliest.

If it decides to purchase the building, Amgen has said it may convert it into a conference or day-care center, said Ed Johnduff, city administrative services manager.

Amgen spokeswoman Kimberly Dorsey said the company has not made a final decision on what operations will take place in the Hillcrest Drive building.

Amgen produces two pharmaceutical products--Epogen, an anti-anemia drug for kidney dialysis patients, and Neupogen, which strengthens the immune systems of chemotherapy patients.