Council Detours Plan to Link 2 Segments of Nordhoff

A plan by Councilman Hal Bernson to speed traffic on Nordhoff Street in Northridge stalled in the Los Angeles City Council on Wednesday.

Faced with the prospect of losing a council vote on his plan to connect two parts of Nordhoff near the Northridge Fashion Center, Bernson agreed to delay the vote until July 8 to allow the council’s Finance and Revenue Committee to review the matter. Bernson expressed confidence that his colleagues will approve his request once they know the details.

Bernson asked the council to approve an agreement with the owners of the Fashion Center, calling for construction of a 2,000-foot connector for Nordhoff, which now zig-zags at Corbin Avenue.

The agreement calls for the owner of the shopping mall, which lies in Bernson’s district, to pay $1.5 million of the estimated $6.2-million cost of the project, with the city paying the rest from federal funds.

Bernson has said his support of the mall’s expansion to include May Co. and Robinson’s department stores is contingent on the agreement.

Zev Yaroslavsky, chairman of the Finance and Revenue Committee, expressed concern that Bernson’s motion, which called for the city to pay “all costs in excess of $1.5 million,” represented an “open-ended commitment” for the city to fund the project at any cost.

The $1.5 million provided by the mall owner is intended to cover the city’s 14% required share of federally aided projects, Bernson said. Yaroslavsky expressed concern that the city may have to provide more funds to pay the local share if the project exceeds cost estimates.