Planning commissioners approve special permit allowing outdoor hookah service at May Cafe, 2100 Alamo Road

The Richardson City Planning Commission on July 15 approved a special permit allowing hookah (smoking) service on an outdoor patio at May Cafe, 2100 Alamo Road, Suite S. The commission voted unanimously to approve ZF 2514, the special-permit application for owner Ahmed Alami.

City planning staff told commissioners the property is zoned PD (planned development) and was rezoned in 2023 to accommodate a dog daycare and retail uses; the suite at 2100 Alamo Road is about 3,000 square feet with a dedicated 1,300-square-foot patio. Staff estimated the patio contains roughly 650–850 square feet that could be designated for smoking use. The site provides 143 parking spaces. Staff said the city adopted a definition of “smoking establishment” and amended the zoning code in February 2011; under the city’s rules a new smoking establishment must obtain a special permit.

The permit approved by the commission is limited to the applicant, requires that smoking occur only on the patio and prohibits enclosing that patio. Staff also described a 10-foot buffer around doors and windows where smoking is not permitted; the proposed smoking area must remain outside those 10-foot radii. The application proposes hours of operation of 10 a.m. to midnight Monday through Thursday and 10 a.m. to 2 a.m. Friday through Sunday. The applicant told the commission the restaurant has been open for a few months and that hookah service is an add-on to the food business rather than the primary business.

Applicant Ahmed Alami was represented by Haya Zanan, who translated during the hearing. Zanan told the commission, "This is just an extra bonus," when describing the hookah service as secondary to the restaurant's food operation. The applicant also confirmed no alcohol will be served and that patrons will not supply their own tobacco.

Several commissioners said they had questions about the size of the smoking area, the ability to limit patrons to areas outside the 10-foot buffer, and neighborhood outreach. The applicant said he contacted the Canyon Creek homeowners association and that the HOA’s only response concerned operating hours. Staff noted that the site’s landscaping ratio (4.6) is lower than current requirements because that reduction was authorized as part of the 2023 PD approval for a previously developed site.

Commissioners discussed public-safety and late-night concerns but concluded the proposed use is limited in scale (the applicant estimated space for about four hookah tables on the patio, excluding the 10-foot buffer) and that the restaurant has operated without reported problems. Commissioner Keller said the request was "tough in some respects" but characterized the smoking area as relatively small and the hookah service as secondary to the restaurant.

Motion and vote: The commission approved ZF 2514 (special permit) by a 5-0 vote. The motion and second were recorded by the chair; individual motion/second attributions were not specified in the transcript. The permit includes the staff-recommended conditions on hours, patio location, and prohibition on enclosing the patio. The special permit is limited to the named applicant and will terminate in accordance with the city’s comprehensive zoning ordinance.

The public hearing produced no written comments to staff, and no members of the public offered testimony at the meeting. The planning commission meeting then concluded.