Panel OKs $2 Billion Project for Chatsworth : Porter Ranch: The plan sent to the City Council contains some but not all the concessions sought by Mayor Bradley.

Los Angeles City Councilman Hal Bernson steered a $2-billion development proposal for the Porter Ranch area through a key council committee Tuesday after conceding some--but not all--of the changes Mayor Tom Bradley said were needed to avoid the mayor’s veto.

The Planning and Land Use Committee voted 2 to 1 to send the proposal--which would be the largest single project in the city’s history--to the full council after Bernson inserted changes providing for some “low- or moderate-income” housing in the development.

But he said he would not go along with two other major recommendations by Bradley, reducing office parking and integrating neighborhood stores into residential areas instead of segregating them in a commercial area.

Bernson said his changes to the 1,300-acre proposal for the hills north of the Simi Valley Freeway in Chatsworth “address the questions that were raised by the mayor . . .”

But it was unknown whether the slightly modified project would satisfy the mayor. Bradley aide Jane Blumenfeld said she could not comment without more time to review Bernson’s changes.

Bernson said he expects the development could be considered in January by the full council, where it will require 10 votes for passage because of the mayor’s objections.

At a news conference Friday, Bradley outlined 10 recommendations that included allocating 20% of the project’s housing to low- or moderate-income families, spreading out the project’s neighborhood-oriented retail stores into its residential area and cutting its office parking in half to encourage ride-sharing and use of public transit. He wanted environmental measures such as tree planting, recycling, composting and use of reclaimed water. Bradley also urged some form of transit system within the project and asked for two school sites to be set aside instead of one.

Bernson said Tuesday that “some of his suggestions have merit and should be incorporated, while others are already included . . . .”

The proposal by Beverly Hills developer Nathan Shapell is for 2,195 single-family houses, 1,200 townhouses and a commercial complex of nearly 6 million square feet, including 10-story office buildings and a regional mall the size of the Northridge Fashion Center.

Bernson proposed Tuesday that 20% of the housing in the townhouse area of the project--and not the single-family estate area-- “be made available to persons and families of low and/or moderate income.”

Bernson said a transit system was already conceptually included in the proposal, but he inserted a requirement that plans for a privately funded transportation system be submitted to city officials before much of the commercial development could be built.

But Bernson would not reduce office parking, saying Porter Ranch would not be a “highly urbanized” area with access to mass transportation.

Bernson said he would not put small commercial centers into the residential areas, saying that would create undesireable “mini-malls.”

Bernson included some provisions for use of reclaimed water and tree planting. But he said the project should not be singled out for environmental programs that would eventually be imposed citywide.

Bernson agreed to require the Porter Ranch developer to set aside a junior high school in addition to the elementary site already in the plan.

Bernson and Councilman Michael Woo voted for the proposal. Councilman Robert Farrell voted against it.