Park Agency Looking at Old City Hall

The former Thousand Oaks City Hall complex near The Oaks mall has been included in a final list of candidates being considered for the new headquarters of the Santa Monica Mountains Recreation Area, according to city and park officials.

A portion of the old 54,000-square-foot City Hall at 401 W. Hillcrest Drive is among a handful of buildings that the U.S. General Services Administration is considering leasing on behalf of the National Park Service. The complex has been vacant since 1988, and city officials are considering plans to redevelop the site.

“The city of Thousand Oaks did make a bid to lease the offices of the old City Hall to the GSA,” said Scott Erickson, deputy superintendent of the recreation area. “I do not know more than that, other than the fact that it is one of the final offers being considered. There are three or four offers that have gotten to the final stages.”

The General Services Administration is in charge of federal buildings. Officials with the GSA office in Los Angeles could not be reached for comment Friday.

The Thousand Oaks City Council will discuss the status of negotiations with the federal agency--including the lease price and terms--Tuesday during a closed-door meeting.

City Manager Grant Brimhall confirmed that the former City Hall site has made the GSA’s short list of candidates for its new headquarters. But he said he could not provide details of the negotiations because they are still continuing.

“No decision has been made,” Brimhall said. “This [Tuesday’s closed session] is just a status report to the council.”