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El Campo council denies special-use permit for proposed THC retailer at West Loop strip center
Summary
The El Campo City Council voted against a special-use permit for a proposed tenant seeking to sell THC products at a strip-center unit on West Loop; planning staff and the Planning & Zoning Commission had recommended approval with conditions, and the city’s police chief raised enforcement concerns.
El Campo City Council on Oct. 13 denied a special-use permit (SUP 2025-05) requested by an applicant to operate a retail business selling THC products in two units at 2407 West Loop.
The Planning and Zoning Commission recommended approval with conditions, but the council voted against the permit after questions about hours, signage and enforcement. The motion to approve “as presented” failed; the meeting record did not include a named mover, second, or a recorded roll-call tally.
Planning staff told the council the proposed tenant, listed in the application as Jessica Cantu with property permission from Anahue LLC, planned to sell THC juices and gummies, keep windows tinted, and avoid on-site product sampling or consumption. The application sought hours seven days a week — Monday–Saturday 8 a.m. to midnight and Sunday noon–6 p.m. The Planning & Zoning Commission had recommended limiting hours to Monday–Saturday 10 a.m.–9 p.m. and closure on Sundays, requiring annual proof of a valid license from the Texas Department of State Health Services and restricting exterior imagery related to THC products.
Council members asked whether the use was regulated by the state and how the city would enforce limits on product potency and paraphernalia. The city’s police chief explained that possession or use in public could still lead to enforcement actions and that proving impairment or lab-level THC concentration typically required additional testing; licensing and product-percentage enforcement would be referred to the state agency that regulates those sellers.
Planning staff also noted the business already holds a pending lease conditioned on SUP approval and that the commission’s recommendation included requiring execution of the lease before final SUP issuance. A neighbor had voiced opposition at the Planning & Zoning hearing; no public comments were recorded during the council meeting’s public-comment slot on this item.
Because council defeated the motion to approve, no permit was issued at the meeting. The permit application and the commission’s recommended conditions remain on the record; council could revisit the item at a later date if a member motions to do so.
