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Mayor Tom Bradley announced Friday that he and City Councilman Hal Bernson have reached a compromise agreement on the Porter Ranch project in Chatsworth, removing a major obstacle to approval of the biggest single development project in Los Angeles history.
Bradley had threatened twice in the last week to veto the $2-billion proposal. But after two days of negotiations between Bernson and mayoral aides, a Bradley spokesman said the mayor would sign legislation authorizing the project if it is passed by the City Council in the compromise form.
Bradley on Dec. 8 listed 10 demands for affordable housing, recycling, public transit and other measures to reduce traffic generated by the project, proposed by Beverly Hills builder Nathan Shapell, a major contributor to Bradley's campaigns.
On Tuesday, when the proposal went before the City Council's Planning and Land Use Management Committee, Bernson accepted some, but not all, of the mayor's recommendations.
Bernson, who represents the area, has supported the project largely because of a range of public works improvements the developer will finance.
Bradley promptly announced the next day that Bernson's changes did not satisfy him.
But on Friday, the mayor released a statement saying Bernson "deserves credit for working out an agreement that meets the needs of the area. Porter Ranch is a much better plan as a result of our mutual efforts."
Despite the compromise, the fundamental dimensions of the project remain...