PANEL RECOMMENDS NEW PLANNING COUNCILS.

Byline: Rick Orlov Staff Writer

Moving to implement one of the major changes of the new City Charter, a city panel recommended on Tuesday the creation of seven area planning commissions to give communities greater say on all development.

``The object of this has been to give a greater role to the people of the community,'' said Councilman Hal Bernson, chairman of the City Council's Planning and Land Use Management Committee.

For the San Fernando Valley, two area planning commissions would be created, basically using Roscoe Boulevard as the dividing line between the North Valley and South Valley panels.

Also, the committee recommended that the South Valley Area Planning Council have jurisdiction over the entire Mulholland Scenic Corridor area up to Sunset Boulevard. Members of several hillside groups had asked that they not be divided among three panels, as had been recommended by the city Planning Commission.

In addition, the council committee decided to add one more area planning council for the Hollywood-Wilshire Corridor area to reduce the size and workload of the metropolitan council that had been requested.

Planning and land use decisions have been cited as one of the factors in the wide public support given the new charter, which required a minimum of five area planning councils.

The councils will be given wide latitude in making decisions on land use matters, with their decisions subject to appeal to a new Citywide Planning Commission, or the City Council having the power to take jurisdiction.