City OKs Scaled-Down Porter Ranch Project

The Los Angeles City Council unanimously approved Friday a scaled-down version of the massive Porter Ranch project in the northwest San Fernando Valley, a reflection of a still tenuous local economy.

The project was billed seven years ago as one of the largest residential developments in the city, one that would house about 11,000 people and include 6 million square feet of commercial space. It was to be a $2-billion endeavor that would rival upscale Century City.

But in the wake of a slumping housing market and the dwindling local aerospace industry, the developer has shrunk the project by cutting the commercial square footage in half and doing away with hotels, high-rises and moving walkways.

“Economic times change,” said Councilman Hal Bernson, the longtime representative for the northwest Valley who came close to being ousted from office for supporting the original blueprint in 1990.

Despite the changes, some neighbors are still concerned about traffic from the project. But the outcry has been softened by promises from Bernson that the developer will pay for many traffic improvements, such as opening the dead-end exits from the 118 Freeway to Winnetka Avenue.

“There is going to be a lot of traffic there,” said Don Worsham, a member of PRIDE, a West Valley homeowners group. “We will have to keep an eye on it.”

Notwithstanding the reductions, the plans still allow for nearly 3,400 homes and multifamily units, plus stores and restaurants.

The Porter Ranch development--proposed during the real estate boom of the late 1980s--calls for a planned community of 1,300 acres at the base of the Santa Susana Mountains.

Construction is planned in several phases over the next 20 years.

In its day, it was the biggest and most controversial project in the city.

Bernson and former Mayor Tom Bradley were caught up in an ethics scandal over the developers’ campaign contributions, and Bernson almost lost his seat on the council to opponents who criticized him over his support of the plan.

But ultimately, the faltering economy and depressed housing market took a bigger toll on the project than community opposition.

So far, the developer has only built a fire station on the project site and has added street improvements and an equestrian crossing signal on nearby streets. But none of the homes have been built.

“So far, not a shovel of dirt has been overturned [to build homes], so that shows you that not all of these plans turn out,” Bernson said.

It is still unclear how economic factors will affect the residential development of the project.

Porter Ranch Development Co. has yet to request any changes to the residential portion of the project, said Richard Mahan, a spokesman for the developer.

“We will build the residential portion as the market enables us to,” he said.

Whatever the changes, the developer has promised to work closely with an appointed panel of neighbors when it unveils the next several phases of the project.

“It has been a cooperative process,” Mahan added. “We worked together.”

The first phase of construction is expected to begin within 18 months.

Because of the smaller commercial center, the council waived some of the most expensive traffic improvements, such as extending Corbin Avenue from Devonshire street to Rinaldi street. The council also reluctantly waived a requirement to include some low-income housing.