Hookah bar trying to open downtown
Published June 13, 2008 by CSBJ Staff
There’s a plan afoot to open a hookah bar at 22 E. Bijou St. – but some neighboring businesses don’t like the idea, and city planners aren’t sure what they can do about it.Sam Ayaad wants to open the bar, called Downtown Hookah. A hookah is a multi-stemmed water pipe that allows four or more people to smoke tobacco at the same time. Hookah bars, where patrons lounge, smoke and sip tea or coffee, are popular in Middle Eastern countries and India, and have become trendy, urban-American hang outs during recent years. Ayaad cleared the idea with the building’s owners and submitted his plans to the city. However, city planners were puzzled by the request because the city has no planning designation for tobacco bars. Still, they sent notice of the plans to neighboring businesses earlier this week. Those businesses immediately began calling to complain, saying the constant flow of smoke from cherry- or strawberry-flavored tobacco that’s burned at hookah bars would affect their businesses. But, without a clear zoning or planning designation outline, city officials have no grounds to deny the business, so Planning Director Bill Healy issued a “formal use interpretation document” designating the hookah bar as a “youth club,” which has a description as close to a hookah bar as planners could find, said planner Ryan Tefertiller. However, the youth club designation, which requires a conditional use permit, must be approved by the city’s planning commission, which could deny the hookah bar plans. Ayaad said he believes the special designation isn’t fair and plans to appeal the decision, noting that there are already four hookah bars in the city. “If you go to Denver, or any other city, the city has a code for a hookah bar,” he said. “I don’t know why Colorado Springs doesn’t.” Tifertiller said hookah bars get around the statewide indoor smoking ban because they sell tobacco exclusively.
Filed under CSBJ Daily, Small Business
Wow! A Hookah Bar huh? My only concern would be how it would affect the area businesses. As long as the smell could be contained or ventilated I don’t think it would be too big of a problem. This is just another issue that paints a picture on how quickly Colorado Springs is growing up.
I was surprised to learn that there are already four other hookah bars in town.
Never heard of these bars before. If there are 4 others in town (according to Rob Larimer), how are they classified and where are they? Are their neighbors having any problems? Might be a good place to start…. Also, why would it be classified a “youth club” if the primary purpose is to smoke tobacco? That’s kind of a goofy idea to me………… As for the smell, what did the other bars do for air filtration/ventilation before the smoking ban?????
Hi Billie - I’m the managing editor here at the CSBJ, and I wrote this story.
It appears that the city has no classification for the four hookah bars, which seemed strange to me. If they stop the plans for the downtown hookah bar, they might be forced to close all the hookah bars. In some cases the hookah bars have opened unbeknownst to city planners…even though the county health department has inspected them and given them their stamp of approval.
The youth club designation is for businesses that cater to youth as a hang out spot, and that’s the closest definition to a hookah bar city planners said they could find.
I’m sure that if the business opens, owners will be required to install some type of ventilation system.
Today is the deadline for Mr. Ayaad to appeal the special designation decision. We’ll follow up on the story. It could get ugly.
Nice job in following up with our readers Rob. It seems people want some follow up to this story.
Hello, I have nothing against a hookah bar wanting to do business. If their neighboring business’ are still concerned with the smoke I would love to help. I also have a small business in town for indoor air purification that is top of the line when it comes to smoke removal. I would appreciate a rely back.
Thank You,
Leandra
hello everyone
thanks for the article it self ,it made me feel good that somebody said about it at the CSBJ,
i have been working on this project since 2005 thinking about opening one and when i found the right place 22 E.Bijou some people started complaining
i would like to say few things
we have 4 in town and none of them came to the plannning department.it seems like it was my fault to things the right way.
we will see more people trying to open more hookah lounges in the near future are we going to stop all of them IS THAT GOING TO BE FAIR AND WE ALREADY HAVE 4 and one of them didnt even open yet.
i thought its a free country
as far smoke removal it will be easy and simple,it wont be a problem
if you never smoked a hookah please visit one of the places in colorado and try it and you will know what i am talking about.
its just a social thing that we have in middle east
and its growning fast in the states
finally thanks for all you r support
good morning everybody
this is sam ayaad please let mek now if you have any questions about hookah bar
best regards
Hookah Bars in Colorado Springs are listed under a Tobacco Retail Establishment ever since the smoking ban went into effect. It can not be classified as a ” tobacco bar” as the planners of the city said earlier in the article. The reason it cannot be classified under that is because the state of CO passed a law as of December 31st, 2005 that no more tobocco bars can be opened in Colorado. A tobacco bar is defined as a place that sells tobacco and alcohol, hence bar in the name. 15 C was the only place in Colorado Springs that got grandfathered in as a tobaaco bar and The RendezVous Lounge just won its appeal recently to be able to smoke indoors too.
As far as other hookah bars in town go, I personally went to the planning and zoning dept at least ten different times before I opened and talked to them about what I was trying to do. They seemed to have no problem with it whatsoever as long as the zoning of the building was PBC and C-5, which my location was. This is just a case of bad planners who work in a city that is growing far too fast for them. As far as the planners saying that none of the other hookah bars came to the Planning and Zoning Dept, in this case is false. It also makes it sound as if I opened up illegally to people like Sam who are just trying to do what I did in town and make a respectable, legal, tax paying business.
For the planners trying to designate it as a “youth club” is just flat out mind-boggling because you have to be an adult to walk in. My client’s ages range from 18 - 65. I would never consider it a youth event by any means. While the amazing city planners are at it, they should designate all the downtown bars and clubs as “youth designated alcohol beverage distrubuters.
If anyone has any questions just email me.
Here are the exceptions list for CO:
25-14-205. Exceptions to smoking restrictions. (1) This part 2 shall not apply to:
(a) Private homes, private residences, and private automobiles; except that this part 2 shall apply if any such home, residence, or vehicle is being used for child care or day care or if a private vehicle is being used for the public transportation of children or as part of health care or day care transportation;
(b) Limousines under private hire;
(c) A hotel or motel room rented to one or more guests if the total percentage of such hotel or motel rooms in such hotel or motel does not exceed twenty-five percent;
(d) Any retail tobacco business;
(e) A cigar-tobacco bar;
(f) An airport smoking concession;
(g) The outdoor area of any business;
(h) A place of employment that is not open to the public and that is under the control of an employer that employs three or fewer employees;
(i) A private, nonresidential building on a farm or ranch, as defined in section 39-1-102, C.R.S., that has annual gross income of less than five hundred thousand dollars; or
(j) The retail floor plan, as defined in section 12-47.1-509, C.R.S., of a licensed casino.
The only thing that has changed is (e) because of the law that passed as of 12/31/05.
Hi Everyone,
I just learned about this Hookah bar from my teenager. Is it legal for a minor to be in this sort of establishment? What is the age limits to this kind of place. How old do you have to be to smoke in the Springs? Just curious becasue this seems like it is a youth attraction.
Hi Teri,
In Colorado, it is illegal for anyone under the age of 18 to smoke or purchase any other tobacco products. I know for sure at both Hooked on Hookah locations that they have a very strict ID policy and wont even let people own if they dont have one on them. Clients of all ages to come frequent these bars but there are far more 18-27 yrs olds then there are 40+. There is one place in town called Hookah Springs that does not ID anyone that walks in and has been fined and cited twice over the past month for violations.