Due to resident complaints, Development Services will be proposing an ordinance to City Council this afternoon concerning new businesses that are considered smoking lounges. Under the proposed ordinance, these new smoking lounges will be forced to locate their business in higher commercial districts away from residential and commercial office districts.
Residents like Zach Smith, whose lived off of Nile for four years, says the smoking lounge near his home causes trouble late at night.
“They’re open until 4 or 5 a.m.,” said Smith. “It’s bring your own beer, lots of traffic, hot roddin’, you got drunk kids coming knocking on our door at 2, 3 in the morning. It’s a nuisance and it shouldn’t be in a residential neighborhood, it’s dangerous.”
Smith even says that this has been an ongoing problem that neighbors in other areas have even started a petition.
With the new ordinance proposed by Development Services, there would not be any changes to the existing smoking lounges.
But, it does hope to limit the negative activity in residential neighborhoods. Development Services will propose the ordinance today, at City Council’s weekly Tuesday meeting.
