A planned cigar lounge for a new downtown Boise restaurant is off the books.
As BoiseDev reported, El Gaucho, the high-end Seattle steakhouse, plans to revamp the old Western Proper location on Idaho St. Owners told BoiseDev they planned to build out a cigar room in the large building.
No smoking law
But the City of Boise doesn’t allow smoking in almost any area open to the public — indoors or outdoors — part of a 2011 law. Boise’s ordinance is a stricter version of the state law that limits indoor smoking.
“Smoking shall be prohibited in all enclosed public places within the limits of the City…” the code says, and provides a long list of prohibited areas, including bars, restaurants, and private clubs. There is a narrow exemption for “exclusive retail tobacconist” businesses, but those may not sell food or drink, and can only have four seats for patrons…