May 16 public hearing set on hookah bar proposal for 5394 N. Milwaukee on Chicago’s NW Side

by BRIAN NADIG

The Zoning Board of Appeals at its Friday, May 16, meeting is scheduled to hear a proposal to open a 6,000-square-foot hookah lounge at 5394-96 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Gladstone Park, where another hookah establishment recently opened at 5762 N. Milwaukee Ave.

The special use request for a hookah bar at the Milwaukee-Manila site, where a former auto parts store is located, is listed on the agenda for the 2 p.m. session of the zoning board’s meeting. It will be held in the Council Chamber at City Hall, 121 N. LaSalle St., and public testimony will be taken.

At a community meeting held last year by Alderman James Gardiner (45th), the proposal was overall well-received, and Gardiner has sent a letter to the board stating that he does not object to the special use request. The alderman has said that he likes the “upscale” nature of the proposed establishment, where hookah for one person is expected to cost around $50 to $100, which is higher than the typical charge at a hookah bar.

In addition, Gardiner said, the plan would invest up to $1 million into an existing commercial structure that has been underutilized for years.

The site was rezoned to C2-3 in 2013 for a motorcycle sales and repair shop that never opened. The zoning classification allows for a wide variety of commercial uses but requires a special use for hookah. Special uses are often required for business that typically raise concerns in communities, including massage parlors and liquor stores.

According to the special use application, the establishment would operate daily from 4 p.m. to midnight and BYOB may be allowed, while there are no plans to sell liquor or to offer live music. All patrons would have to be at least 21 years old.

Plans call for the retrofitting of the site’s existing building, where there are seven parking spaces behind it. Project officials have said that they would look into leasing parking at nearby businesses.

Denisse Gonzalez-Yavuz, one of the owners of the proposed establishment, has said that the decor would be intended for those looking for an “elegant night out” in a bright atmosphere where those who do not smoke hookah would still feel comfortable accompanying their friends. The hookah, which is flavored tobacco smoked through a water pipe, would be presented in artistically designed displays, she said.

Gonzalez-Yavuz and her husband Mehmet Yavuz operate a restaurant in Lakeview and two existing hookah lounges, including the Blue Hookah House at 3524 W. Irving Park Road.

Gardiner opposed plans to open The Boss hookah lounge at the Milwaukee-Austin intersection due to its proximity to the Saint Mary of the Elizabeth and Hitch elementary schools. The zoning board, which acts independently of the council, approved a special use for that location over the objections of Gardiner and several community members.

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