THOUSAND OAKS : City, Amgen Discuss Development Plans

The Thousand Oaks City Council and Planning Commission met with officials of Amgen Inc. on Tuesday to discuss the biotechnology firm’s development plans, which would require some variances from the city’s building codes.

Amgen plans to double its 1-million-square-foot local office and lab over the next five years.

The company, which was founded in Thousand Oaks in 1980 and is now the largest independent biotechnology company in the world, occupies a 95-acre site along Hillcrest Drive at the west end of the city. Administrative, research and development facilities are housed in two dozen buildings on the site.

Amgen’s plans call for adding several new buildings, including at least two that would exceed the city’s 35-foot height limit. The new buildings would probably be three or four stories high, officials said.

Ed Bjurstrom, Amgen’s director of engineering and construction, said a variance is needed to reduce the number of facilities that the company would have to build.

The City Council agreed Tuesday night to postpone until a future meeting its decision on the building height variance and other issues that Amgen is requesting. The council did not specify when it would take up the matters again.

An environmental impact report on Amgen’s future development plans is expected to be completed next month. After the public has had a chance to review it, the Planning Commission will begin hearings on the company’s development plans.