From Grace:

Good morning.

If anyone is interested in the follow-up on the proposed hookah bar at the old Foon’s location, Channel 13 did a story on it.  The link is in the forwarded email below.  Also, since I had no idea what a hookah bar is when I first heard of it, I went to my favorite 21st century reference resource.  Here is the link that explains the concept.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hookah_lounge

I guess before we rush to judgment about the proposed business, we ought to consider a couple of things.

Number one, we know that it is not doing anyone any good to have an idle property sitting there not creating jobs, not generating revenue, not paying much in the way of taxes.  For years this place was a successful restaurant and satisfactory neighbor.

Number two, once a variance is received for the parking, and presumably a Conditional Use Permit issued, residents have no control of what use the property enjoys.  The CUP may set the parameters of operation, but in my observation, there is little to no enforcement once the business opens, and even less, once the property has conveyed a time or two.

The BZA hearing is just about the parking space allocation, but if that hurdle is passed, I predict you will see a hookah bar at that location.  And that is not necessarily a bad thing.  Maybe we should mount an expeditionary force to the already-operating Nimbus.

Happy 4th.
Regards,
Grace Moran
President, SDCC

Comment from the Editor:

How much work has the proposed owners done to ensure a safe Shore Drive?

Examples: Are they lobbying for sidewalks/multi-use paths near them to
encourage people to walk instead of drive.
They are asking for less parking after all.

Are they lobbying for dedicated bike lanes to encourage people to ride?

Do they have a plan to take people home who shouldn’t drive or even to
pick people up?

Are they working on a “local shuttle” for people to take?  There are
plenty examples of that including in Richmond where local
establishments share “buses” for the specific purpose of getting
people out of their cars to travel safely and not worry about
how/where to park.

If they want to be part of the Shore Drive community safely – this is
their opportunity to set the standard on the way in.

And as always – if anything should be posted at SDCC.info email me
exactly what you want there – including the owners of the proposed
Hookah Lounge.

Tim