EBay to Buy San Jose Buildings From Novell

EBay Inc. said it agreed to purchase a five-building campus in San Jose with 511,000 square feet of space from Novell Inc., ending months of speculation that the fast-growing company would leave the city in search of roomier facilities.

EBay also agreed to buy a 30-acre parcel next to the Novell campus from the city of San Jose for $30 million. Although the purchase price for the Novell campus wasn’t disclosed, sources said EBay paid considerably less than the property’s reported $100-million valuation.

The auction company has doubled its workforce over the last three years to 4,200, including 1,500 at its headquarters in West San Jose.

Pending approval from San Jose’s City Council, which is set to meet April 29, EBay could begin to move some of its offices into the new facilities in the fall, an EBay spokesman said.