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401 Hillcrest Drive and Historical Janss House July 11, 2000 Page 2 the two-story concept would not be possible from a structural standpoint, so work focused on a middle building. At the time, the Conejo Recreation and Park District was a part owner and occupant of the south building, therefore the additional plans included expanded space for them as well. At a point where the plans were 90% complete, a review of the actual construction of the building found extensive amounts of asbestos in the ceilings. Further, the architect's estimate for the expansion was $13.5 million, which was higher than had been previously anticipated. The asbestos was at a level that when removed required the building to be completely vacated for an extended period of time. Council then proceeded with the recommendation for City Hall to relocate during the time the asbestos was removed. The City purchased the old Hewlett Packard building at 2150 Hillcrest and moved there in February, 1988. The configuration of the new building was such that the work space afforded closer integration of departments and better customer service. Both customers and staff recognized the significant benefits of a more open, integrated work space which would not have been feasible in the 401 Hillcrest building due to the linear nature of the buildings. Also at this time, Council was reviewing options in terms of where to build the community theatres as approved in the 1986 Ballot Measure. Further, some controversy focused on the old Jungleland property due to a proposed "big box" facility. All of these issues stimulated the decision by Council to locate both the theatres and City Hall on Thousand Oaks Boulevard. Direction was given to staff to begin the process of marketing the 401 Hillcrest building for possible sale or lease. The Hillcrest property was declared surplus in September, 1989. An appraisal of the property was developed and received in December, 1989. City Council authorized a study of development options for the site which was completed in 1989 and approved consolidation of options into a single plan, which envisioned mixed commercial/office and residential uses on the site. Concurrently, as a disposition option, the staff attempted to find users for the existing buildings and site with no further development. In February, 1990, City Council authorized the staff to select a broker through a competitive process to market the site for disposition. Cushman and Wakefield was selected as broker in May, 1990. During the period of June, 1990 to July, 1991, the City received nine offers, all of which were rejected by City Council. All offers were contingent on development approvals. Council rejected the offers for various reasons particular to each proposal; generally, the intensity of development, proposed uses, site constraints, and price or value of land relative to development requested, were issues discussed. City Council did not renew the agreement with Cushman and Wakefield.