It’s the end of an era as plans for a new development at the current site of Nate ‘n Al’s have moved forward. The Beverly Hills Planning Commission at its June 10 meeting approved a Development Plan Review for a three-story commercial structure to be constructed at 414 North Beverly Drive, the existing location of the famed restaurant.
“I’m personally sad to see the old Nate ‘n Al’s building go by,” said Commissioner Lou Milkowski, “but I understand this is good progress for our city and for the area.”
The building that currently houses Nate ‘n Al’s was constructed in the 1920s, and the restaurant’s founders, Al Mendelson and Nate Rimer, first opened the eatery’s doors in 1945. Since then, it’s become a favorite spot among locals and film and television heavy hitters.
The restaurant was sold by the Mendelson family to Shelli and Irving Azoff in 2019, according to a statement released at the time of the sale. The Azoffs were customers of Nate ‘n Al’s for three decades.
A Historic Resource Assessment of the building was prepared by Historic Resources Group (HRG), a historic preservation consulting firm, and reviewed by Ostashay & Associates Consulting, a consultant group for Beverly Hills. Both parties found that the property doesn’t qualify to be considered a historic resource.
The HRG report further found that the building doesn’t meet the criteria to qualify for the National Register or California Register.
The development proposal for 414 North Beverly Drive seeks to build a three-story commercial building with 14,448 net square feet of floor space without a specific tenant or commercial use in mind. According to a report prepared by city staff, the developer has said that a restaurant or retail would be the most likely future tenants.
At the June 10 meeting, commissioners did not deliberate for long before approving the proposal. Most expressed their support of the project and their appreciation for the design.
“I think you did a very good job of giving us a project that will fit in the neighborhood and comply with the requirements,” said Commissioner Myra Demeter.
Chair Terri Kaplan said that the development will constitute an upgrade to the block.
“I’d like to join my colleagues in commending you on an attractive project that, in my opinion, will be an improvement to the streetscape in the area,” she said. “I wish you good luck with it.”
According to the staff report, the developer has said that the owners of Nate ’n Al’s are considering reopening elsewhere in Beverly Hills.
In other business, the commission discussed and heard feedback about a proposed development at 9600 Wilshire Blvd. for over four hours. The site currently houses the Saks Fifth Avenue Women’s Building and surrounding structures. The item was continued from the commission’s May 1 meeting.
The project, which was first submitted to Beverly Hills in 2022, would include two new mixed-use residential structures and two new commercial buildings featuring a boutique hotel, spa, membership club, retail space and office space.
The existing Saks Fifth Avenue Women’s building would also be redeveloped as part of the project, through a rehabilitation and adaptive reuse plan.
Thirteen members of the public spoke against the project and several more wrote or called in. Their concerns focused heavily on the impact on traffic in the area and noise related to construction, which is expected to take approximately five years.
Many residents who spoke against the project live in the southwest neighborhood of Beverly Hills, which would be most heavily impacted, and some have accused representatives from developer Saks Global of not listening to their concerns.
Douglas Adams, Senior Vice President of Development for Saks Global, said that in addition to the nine meetings referenced by Gottlieb, representatives have held over 250 meetings with residents of the city.
“We’ve been working on this project for almost 10 years, trying to come up with a mix of uses that generate sufficient returns to support the adaptive reuse, much needed housing, fit in with the adjacent neighborhood and provided catalyst for Wilshire Boulevard,” Adams said.
Commissioners will continue their consideration of the issue at their July 24 meeting.
