Denver-A proposed bill would force hookah lounges operating in the city and county of Denver to close at midnight.

The bill was introduced by the 7th District Councillor Jolon Clark, requiring the lounge to close at midnight and remain closed until 7 am

He said: "In this place, the tobacco license of the hookah lounge is not regulated like a bar, so there is no restriction on business hours."

He mentioned the Habibi Hookah coffee shop on Broadway and Colorado Avenue as an example of the use of unrestricted operators.

"We have, you know, someone shot. I woke up to find bullet holes in people's homes and people smashed cars when they left," Clark said. "From midnight to 4 to 5 in the morning, there was a huge problem"

Stephanie Dixon lives with her fiance Campbell Mitchell not far from the lounge. They have personally experienced complaints from other neighbors to the city.

"We were awakened by a few gunshots, and it might sound like it was outside our window," Mitchell said. "We, like, peeked through the blinds trying to figure it out. Terrified our dog-he is losing it."

According to city government documents, Habibi received more than 30 service calls from January to July this year. These include repeated requests for shooting, interference and noise complaints.

A spokesperson for the city attorney's office confirmed on Tuesday that the lounge "has ceased operations until the corresponding city license is obtained." The owner agreed to move out of the premises before November 1.

But concerns about the safety of some hookah lounges in Denver are nothing new. In 2018, a shooting incident forced the closure of Marrakech Hookah Lounge on S. Colorado Boulevard and E. Iliff Avenue.

Clark believes that his bill will help reduce some bad behaviors that often occur in the early morning.

He said: "Most of these lounges are not, you know, some clubs are located in the city center, so people will come to the neighborhood where the bars are closed from midnight."

Hrant Vatzbedian, executive director of the National Waterpipe Communities Association, said he supports the regulations but believes that the midnight closing time is unfair.

"We believe that the lounge and the bar should be closed at the same time, whether it is 12 o'clock in the morning or 2 o'clock in the morning, the lounge should not be opened after the bar is closed, nor should it be discriminated against to close in advance," he said.

But the neighbors in these lounges would disagree.

"If so, you know, these hookah lounges open until 4 am will produce these bad results, and I think it makes sense to limit it to midnight," Dixon said.

The city’s safety, housing, education and homelessness committee will discuss the matter at a meeting at 10 am on Wednesday.

If committee members think they are ready to go to the city council, Clark said the final vote may not take place until the end of November.