A businessman trying to open a Rohnert Park tobacco and smoking products store will make his case to the City Council, after being denied by the Planning Commission.
Tareq Alrehani, who runs a similar store in Sebastopol, had applied to open his 1,200-square-foot shop in the city's Raley's Towne Centre.
But the commission rejected his application, citing concerns that it wouldn't fit with family oriented businesses in the area.
They also said that Alrehani's products would cause blight in an area that they said is becoming the city's downtown area.
Alrehani's appeal will be heard Tuesday. Councilmembers have not indicated their preference, but have placed increasing emphasis on economic development and making it easier for businesses to open.
Alrehani's appeal says that neither he nor the property owner believe that the shopping center is "the new emerging downtown" in a city long criticized for not having one.
Such a store is a permitted use in that part of the city, he notes, and no one under 18 is allowed inside.
-- Jeremy Hay
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