THOUSAND OAKS : Site Near Old City Hall to Be Appraised

The city of Thousand Oaks is moving ahead with an appraisal of a 27-acre parcel next to the former City Hall on Hillcrest Drive, with the hopes of eventually purchasing the property.

The City Council on Tuesday voted 3 to 2 to conduct the land appraisal, which is expected to take about 60 days. Mayor Elois Zeanah and Councilwoman Jaime Zukowski cast the dissenting votes.

Councilman Alex Fiore urged the council to press forward and purchase the mostly hilly parcel. Once marketed for $1.2 million dollars, Fiore said the city now has a chance to acquire it for $650,000.

Only the three acres at the top of the hill are flat and considered developable. Fiore said that by acquiring the property the city could either preserve the hilltop land as open space or use it to help market the old City Hall site as a package deal.

“This is probably the most important piece of ground in the city,” Fiore said. “It has a 360-degree view of the valley.” Fiore said the city could use development funds to buy the land.

But Zeanah and Zukowski said they were not convinced that the purchase would be a good investment for the city. They said the land did not appear to be in any danger of being sold or developed in the near future.

Councilwoman Judy Lazar warned, however, that this may not always be the case and that the city should not squander this opportunity.