Cloud 9 Danbury LLC

6 Ives St.

Danbury, CT 06810

The purpose of this petition is to educate the citizens of Danbury as to what Cloud 9 Danbury LLC is, and why it was shut down by the City of Danbury.

 The citizens can then decide if they support the effort to re-issue the zoning permit of an entertainment center to Cloud 9.

     Cloud 9 is an entertainment center on 6 Ives St. that features an upscale, relaxed atmosphere. A live DJ is provided on most nights to provide music according to the crowd’s requests, and a dance floor is available to the rear of the venue. In many ways Cloud 9 is like the night clubs that neighbor it, except for the fact that we do not serve alcohol. Other forms of entertainment are made available such as hookah smoking, live TV, and future entertainment purchases include a pool table and a projector screen.

Cloud 9 was opened as an entertainment center under the Danbury zoning code, and fits all of the requirements of an entertainment center. The City of Danbury approved all forms of entertainment that were requested by Cloud 9, under the following conditions.

Cloud 9 must not advertise the sale of hookahs

Cloud 9 must not charge for the use of hookahs

These terms ensured that Cloud 9 would fit the description of an entertainment center, and would not be considered a “hookah lounge.

After the period of one month, Cloud 9’s zoning permit was revoked due to the following terms which were not met. The following is in the exact words of The City of Danbury, stating that these are the agreements that Cloud 9 did not comply with.

      1. Cloud 9 is an entertainment center, not a hookah lounge

2.      Hookas are a complement to your business and will be provided free of charge

3.      You will not advertise the use of hookahs

 Cloud 9 replied to the claims with the following responses

 1.  Cloud is an entertainment center and not a “hookah lounge”. Observe any other “hookah lounge” in the vicinity and you will see that hookahs are the primary form of entertainment, with limited forms of other entertainment. This is not the case with Cloud 9, if we do not advertise the sale of hookahs, charge for hookahs, or provide them on a “regular basis” then we are not considered a hookah lounge as defined by the State of Connecticut.

2.      Hookahs* are indeed a complement to our business, we have hosted occasions such as birthday parties that have lasted over 4 hours and the patrons were most certainly not engaging in hookah smoking for the majority of their time at Cloud 9. Cloud 9 does provide hookahs free of charge as agreed upon, patrons are only charged a cover charge to enter. The only hookah related item that Cloud 9 did charge for is the refill of a hookah bowl. The City of Danbury can most certainly issue a warning and clarify that refills can no longer be charged for.

3.      No form of Cloud 9 advertising featured any information regarding hookahs, except for 3 “tweets” on the social media website twitter. Only 3 out of over 300 posts by Cloud 9 included the word hookah in them, these tweets were posted by unauthorized individuals who gained access to the phone; however Cloud 9 is not attempting to be excused from these actions and apologized for the misunderstanding.

•  Cloud 9 would like to argue that the actions they commited were not severe enough to have their permit revoked. Cloud 9 would like to add that if the charging of hookah refills is ceased, and no future advertising includes information pertaining to hookahs, then Cloud 9 should be allowed to operate as an entertainment center in the City of Danbury. While a "hookah lounge" focuses its primary business on hookahs, this is not the case with Cloud 9. Any of our patrons would agree that Cloud 9 offers much more than just hookah, and in most cases, hookah takes a back seat to our other forms of entertainment. If you have read the above statements and/or have your own opinions that feel Cloud 9 Danbury LLC should be re-issued their zoning permit for the purpose of an entertainment center by the City of Danbury, please sign this petition and make your voice heard.

*Please note that during the time that Cloud 9 was open, there were 0 incidents with the local police. This was done while operating at maximum capacity almost every night, in an area of Danbury that is synonymous with weekend fights after entertainment events. There were no other issues with Cloud 9 during the time that it was open, other than those mentioned above.

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