Residents in a North Boylan Street neighborhood are reporting a decrease in problems previously blamed a nearby hookah bar that drew an after-hours crowd from Glenwood South.
In the three months since the issue was last heard in the city’s Law and Public Safety Committee, the Sahara Hookah Cafe on the corner of North Boylan Avenue and Peace Street has increased security, added indoor bathrooms and began discouraging customers from parking in the neighborhood.
Staff / Raleigh Public Record
The Sahara Hookah Cafe at the corner of Glenwood and Boylan.
A parking restriction was also instituted, so that only residents and their visitors can park on neighborhood streets at night. The new restrictions seem to have to cut down the noise and litter that residents claim were associated with the cafe.
At Tuesday’s committee meeting, Raleigh Police Capt. Robert Council said that the number of complaints has dropped significantly, with fewer than five complaints coming in since the beginning of September.
He said that about 50 parking tickets have been issued since the restriction was put in place. 
Resident Phil Poe said that while the neighborhood has seen a dramatic change for the better, he believes the City Council should continue to look at where hookah cafes should be located in relation to residential neighborhoods.
The committee agreed to consider the matter closed.
