The city of Palo Alto, which enacted a ban on gas lines in new buildings last October, will nevertheless allow celebrity chef Jose Andrés’ new restaurant on the upscale Stanford Mall to be connected to gas. The decision ends a dispute over the fate of the restaurant and possible legal action against the city.
The city announced Wednesday that it had reached an agreement with SPG Center LLC, the real estate group that owns Stanford Mall, to use a gas pipeline in a new building that will house Andrés’ Zaytinya restaurant. Palo Alto Online was the first to report the settlement.
“With the exception of this one-off situation, Palo Alto’s all-electric requirement will be implemented in all new projects and major conversions,” the city’s announcement said. “Building electrification is critical to reducing our greenhouse gas emissions.”
In 2019, the city approved plans for a gas line into the building and also approved the line’s installation in 2021, ahead of the city’s building code, which went into effect Jan. 1, banning gas lines in new buildings.
However, because SPG failed to provide planning permission for the structure before the new regulations went into effect, the project was unable to utilize its gas line, city officials claimed. In April, SPG sent a letter to the city disagreeing with the employees, arguing it had the right to install and use its gas lines. On May 3, 2023, the company submitted an application for the building including the natural gas pipeline.
Lawyers for the real estate group said Andrés might have left the Turkish-Mediterranean restaurant if the project had been forced to cook in an all-electric building.
“Without gas and appliances, Zaytinya would be forced to change its signature five-star menu, which it is not prepared to do,” Anna Shimko of the law firm Burke, Williams & Sorensen, LLP previously wrote. Shimko also mentioned that the mall’s owner is willing to take legal action over the gas line if necessary.
Representatives for José Andrés did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The decision applies only to the building that will house Zaytinya, which will also house a location of popular Bay Area dim sum chain Dumpling Time. Three other mall buildings under construction must comply with the all-electrical code.
Reach Mario Cortez: mario.cortez@sfchronicle.com
