THOUSAND OAKS : Amgen Seeking OK for Building Permit

The Thousand Oaks Planning Commission on Monday will consider granting Amgen Inc. a permit to construct three new buildings as part of the biotechnology firm’s ongoing expansion of its local research and development complex.

Amgen needs a special permit to build the three structures because its property is adjacent to residential neighborhoods. The company’s headquarters occupy a 95-acre site along Hillcrest and Havilland drives at the far west end of the city.

Amgen, one of the city’s largest employers, is proposing to build a three story, 162,000-square-foot office building that will include a subterranean conference center; a two-story, 37,600-square-foot cafeteria and utility building; and a six-level parking structure.

If approved by the Planning Commission at its meeting Monday, groundbreaking on the project would probably begin in late August with completion set for the spring of 1995, said Amgen spokeswoman Sarah Crampton.

The hugely successful biotechnology company, whose sales totaled $1.1 billion in 1992, recently presented an overview of its future development plans to the City Council. The plans call for adding several new buildings over the next five years that will double the company’s floor space to 2 million square feet.