Because the establishment will provide tobacco and tobacco accessories and allow on-site smoking, the special-use permit was required to be approved by council, which voted 4-3 in favor of allowing the business to operate during its May 9 meeting. Council Members Bob Dubey, Ken Hutchenrider and Arefin Shamsul voted against the special permit.
City documents show the restaurant will operate on a 6,600-square-foot patio with 4,300 square feet of the patio being covered. City documents state the concept will be similar to the Turkish Café & Lounge, which is located at 8412 Preston Road in Plano. According to the permit, no indoor seating will be provided within the existing 5,600-square-foot single-story building.
Based on the lack of availability of on-site parking, a condition is included in the proposal limiting the seating capacity to a maximum of 97 customers. The seating capacity limitation is based on a total of 57 parking spaces, which includes 44 on-site parking spaces and 13 off-site parking spaces that would be acquired via a parking agreement.
The property, which was previously a restaurant after being converted from a liquor store, was purchased in 2021 with the intent of turning it into an outdoor restaurant that allows smoking, according to city documents.
As part of the special-use permit, a 10-foot-wide landscape buffer along Buckingham Road and Abrams Road will be created to space out the patio. A minimum of four canopy trees and four ornamental trees will be provided within the landscape buffer, and a 5-foot-tall wood fence is expected to be added.
