Whittaker Gets OK to Build Homes, Commercial Center

Whittaker Corp., an electronics and aerospace concern in Simi Valley, has received approval to build a large residential and commercial development on the site of a former Whittaker plant in Santa Clarita.

The Santa Clarita City Council voted 5 to 0 to allow Whittaker to go ahead with its Porta Bella project, which would include 2,900 homes as well as commercial, office and industrial buildings. The property is adjacent to the city’s planned town center.

The 996-acre site, about 35 miles northwest of Downtown Los Angeles, had been occupied by a discontinued technology unit of Whittaker. Part of the property is currently being used as a Metrolink commuter train station.

“The vote marks the culmination of the long entitlement process and represents a major step forward in our efforts to realize the substantial value of this asset,” said Thomas A. Brancati, Whittaker’s president and chief executive.

Still to be negotiated with the city is how much time will be allowed to complete the project. The basic agreement grants up to 10 years.