Rezoning requests for hookah lounge, reception hall and grocery store submitted to Planning Commission

Several applications for rezoning requests were submitted to the Planning Commission before today’s deadline to have them taken up at the commission’s Nov. 7 meeting. Among them is an application to accommodate a new hookah lounge in the LSU area. Nadar Ibrahim, who says he’s gotten experience working in hookah bars owned by family members in Tampa, will manage Cloud 9 Hookah Lounge should the rezoning request be granted. The 22-year-old says he hopes to fill what he sees as a void in the Baton Rouge market. “I want to offer a place for students. They can come here, drink tea, eat snacks and smoke hookah. It will be a nice little spot where people can come relax,” Ibrahim says. The building at 2932 Highland Road is a former car repair shop, Ibrahim says, adding he plans to open the garage doors on days with good weather to clear smoke out of the building. Ibrahim says the shop will also be equipped with machines called “smoke eaters” that purify air. “I don’t want it to be smoky,” Ibrahim says. “I’m putting up a good bit of money that I worked hard for.” The Planning Commission will also consider a rezoning request for a reception hall at 17097 Old Hammond Highway that wishes to sell alcohol. Also, a small grocery store is seeking rezoning at the corner of Stumberg Lane and Coursey Boulevard from rural to light commercial. —Kelly Connelly