The Porter Ranch Neighborhood Council finished their deliberations on the proposed addition of a bike lane on Porter Ranch Drive between Rinaldi and Corbin adjacent to Toys R Us at the March 2012 meeting. The Council received a letter from the Porter Ranch Development Company that expressed concerns about the viability of bike lanes with regard to safety and potential future impacts. They noted that after years of careful planning the street was designed without bike lanes to accommodate the future residential and commercial growth of Porter Ranch and is documented as such in the Porter Ranch Specific Plan.

Stakeholders who were present weighed in on both sides of the issue. Having heard stakeholder concerns over several meetings, the Board voted against the addition of bike lanes on that short stretch of Porter Ranch Drive.

The PRNC has tasked its Education Committee to re-organize and invite representatives from our various schools to help prioritize the community’s education needs and to understand how to apply for a Neighborhood Purposes Grant. If you are interested in participating please contact either SueHammarlund [at] PRNC.org  or BeckyLeveque [at] PRNC.org.

The subject of street parking in Porter Ranch was agendized and discussed with regard to Holleigh Bernson Park and the Porter Ranch Community School (PRCS). There is a proposal to add street parking next to Holleigh Bernson Park on Porter Ranch Drive and on Sesnon to allow residents greater access to the park. Currently, the parking lot is overflowing with cars jammed in illegal spaces during peak afternoon hours. Residents of nearby Renaissance indicated they would be agreeable to street parking, as the park was planned even before they purchased their homes. They did specify that their support was contingent upon a change to the street striping on Porter Ranch Drive allowing for smoother traffic flow with a lane that would go straight into the main gate of their community as well as right and left turn lanes.

On the subject of school parking, future PRCS parents from Renaissance and other parts of Porter Ranch were present to share their concern about the need for street parking for PRCS, especially in light of the 200 parents who regularly park to drop off their children at Castlebay, a similarly sized school. Members of the Renaissance Community Board expressed strong concerns against parking, citing that the school was supposed to have been built with sufficient on campus parking. Principal Melvin spoke about traffic flow and her interest in the school being a good neighbor.