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Council approves special-use permit for smoke shop near Old Town despite neighbor opposition
Summary
The Leander City Council granted a five-year special-use permit for a smoke shop at 106 W. Willis St., voting 5-2 after public testimony highlighted a planning miscommunication and proximity to the Leo Center school.
Leander City Council voted 5-2 on June 5 to grant a five-year special-use permit allowing a smoke shop to operate at 106 W. Willis St., in Old Town, with conditions on exterior appearance and signage.
The applicant, Sayed Sadad, told the council he consulted planning staff by email in January and relied on staff's guidance that retail sale of new goods was allowed in the T5 transit smart-code zone. He said he began renovating the space and applying for state licenses before city staff informed him that a city ordinance imposing a 1,000-foot buffer from schools would require a special-use permit because the Leo Center and portions of Leander ISD property fell within that radius.
"We started our renovation and investment immediately following the city zoning…
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