The History Of Porter Ranch :

The Porter family acquired a portion of Rancho Ex-Mission San Fernando in 1874, marking the beginning of the area's long history of transformation. Porter Ranch as a community began to take shape in the 1960s when it was developed as a housing tract within the broader Northridge area, along San Fernando Mission Blvd, west of Reseda Blvd. However, it wasn't until 1965, when the area was annexed by the City of Los Angeles, that development expanded north of Rinaldi Street. Prior to that, homes were only accessible via Tampa Ave, and a large section of the community remained undeveloped.

In the early 1970s, the area was affected by one of the region's most notorious wildfires. The 1970-1971 "shake and bake" fires, which raged from Indian Dunes to Malibu and surrounding Simi Valley, crossed Rinaldi Street west of Reseda Blvd. Afterward, a prominent hill just northeast of the Rinaldi/Reseda intersection became known as "Cherry Hill" due to the way its tall grasses glowed like a cherry during the fire. At the time, much of the land south of Rinaldi consisted of feral orange groves, while the northern area was covered with grasslands. Local children often rode dirt bikes and motorcycles along the numerous trails in these areas. A popular local spot known as "the secret of the three trees" was located atop Oat Mountain. The "three trees" were visible from the valley below, but a hidden fourth tree behind them was the true secret, often discovered by adventurous teens who hiked from Rinaldi Street. These trails were also a popular site for teen parties, complete with live bands and generators, especially in the canyon west of Tampa Ave.

The 1990s and early 2000s brought significant development to the Porter Ranch area, particularly with the construction of the Renaissance Summit community. However, this expansion was not without controversy. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, plans for a $2 billion real estate and commercial development sparked heated debates. The project, which would see large-scale construction of homes and commercial spaces, was opposed by the growing "slow-growth" movement, which was fueled by environmental concerns and rising infrastructure challenges in Los Angeles. At the time, the city was struggling with multiple issues, such as poor air quality, sewage capacity limitations, and flood control problems, all exacerbated by rapid urban expansion in previous decades.

Locally, the Porter Ranch community residents were concerned about the potential increase in traffic and the loss of natural landscapes to make way for the new developments. The destruction of brush and wildlife areas, along with fears about the impact on the local environment, created a strong opposition to the plan. Despite these objections, Shapell Homes, led by prominent Los Angeles builder Nathan Shapell, successfully rallied political support from key Los Angeles figures to push the project forward. The development went on to reshape the area, though it remains a point of contention for many who continue to feel the environmental and infrastructural consequences of such large-scale urbanization.