19-acre biotech campus in Thousand Oaks approved
A 19-acre campus designed to attract more biotech firms to Thousand Oaks was approved by the city’s Planning Commission Monday night.
It will be the first campus built exclusively for life science tenants in the city, which has a large biotech hub anchored by Amgen.
“Life sciences is one of the economic engines of our community,” Commission Chair David Newman said.
He said developer Alexandria Real Estate Equities is “doing something that will continue to drive that engine and make it run ever better and perform even stronger.”
Pasadena-based Alexandria, which specializes in life science developments, plans to build four one- and two-story buildings on the 19-acre parcel at 1100 Rancho Conejo Boulevard.
Future campus tenants are expected to eventually employ about 2,250 people, according to a report to the commission from Kelvin Parker, the city’s community development director.
“Our mission is really to enable the world’s leading (life science) innovators to improve human health,” Alexandria CEO Peter Moglia told the commission.
“The bottom line is that people that are working in our buildings are hoping to cure disease and improve the lives of millions of people, not only in California, but around the world,” he said.
Three of the buildings will be for office and lab spaces. The fourth will house amenities, including a gym and a restaurant. The buildings will surround a large arboretum in the center of the campus.
The project will preserve 13 protected trees, transplant 10 protected trees on-site, remove 54 protected trees and plant 87 Coast Live Oak trees.
The complex will have 854 parking spaces.
The commission voted 4-0 to approve the development. Commissioner Sharon McMahon was absent.
“I think this is a wonderful project,“ Commissioner Nelson Buss said. “I’m excited as a longtime resident that we’re talking about the next Amgen coming."
The site used to be Amgen’s headquarters and before that was a Seventh-day Adventist communications center, including radio and television recording studios.
Alexandria bought the parcel, which borders Amgen’s large campus, earlier this year.
The site’s three existing buildings have been demolished by contractor Turner Construction as it preps the parcel for eventual construction.
Alexandria officials say construction won’t begin until an anchor tenant can be found, which could take up to a few years.
Alexandria has previously redeveloped three other buildings on Rancho Conejo Boulevard that now house such life sciences firms as Atara Biotherapeutics and Capsida Biotherapeutics.
The companies are among the roughly 17 biotech firms in the Rancho Conejo hub. Three other biotech firms are in different parts of the city.
During public comments, Danielle Borja, president and CEO of the Greater Conejo Valley Chamber of Commerce, spoke in favor of the project.
“As our city continues to focus on the growth of the biotech sector, this 19-acre campus will be a transformative project,” she said, noting that Alexandria is a member of the chamber.
Two nearby residents, Marc Sattler and Judy Grund, expressed some concerns about the project, including noise stemming from the contractor at times starting work at 6:30 a.m., rather than 7 a.m. as it is supposed to.
Project spokeswoman Dianne McKay, president of Mustang Marketing in Thousand Oaks, said she spoke with the contractor Tuesday to make clear that it shouldn’t begin work until 7 a.m.
In a statement Tuesday, Moglia said, “We are very happy the Planning Commission sees the value of this project and we look forward to seeing it through.”
The commission’s decision is final unless appealed to the City Council. But an appeal isn’t anticipated, the city’s project planner, Scott Kolwitz, said.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: 19-acre biotech campus in Thousand Oaks approved
