Korenstein to Oppose Porter Ranch Plan

Los Angeles school board member Julie Korenstein said Monday that she will side with a homeowners group and oppose plans for a $2-billion development in Porter Ranch because the project would create too much traffic and cause overcrowding in nearby schools.

Korenstein said she will speak against the project Thursday at a press conference sponsored by PRIDE, a group that opposes plans by Porter Ranch Development Co. to build 3,000 residences and 7.5 million square feet of commercial space north of Chatsworth.

The press conference will precede a key hearing on the development by the Los Angeles City Planning Commission.

“My concern is that it will overdevelop the area, causing stress and strain on the environment,” Korenstein said. “It is also unclear whether there are school sites guaranteed for that area.”

Korenstein said the developer should guarantee that the district will be provided enough free land to build an elementary school, as well as a junior and senior high school if needed.

Porter Ranch Development spokesman Paul Clarke said the firm has agreed to keep five acres of land free from development until the year 2000. “If the district needs it, we’ll give it to them; if not, we keep it,” Clarke said.

Clarke said the project, if approved, would provide the school district with about $15 million in state-mandated development fees. In the last two years, about $1 million has been paid to the district for earlier Porter Ranch developments, he said.

Korenstein said she favors reducing the commercial space planned for the project to about 1 million square feet. The existing proposal will attract too many cars and create too much smog, she said.

Korenstein is seeking reelection June 6 as the board’s west San Fernando Valley representative. She is opposed by Gerald E. Horowitz, a junior high school principal.