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Board approves Angry Cactus variance allowing liquor license closer than 300 feet to charter school
Summary
After an executive session to consult legal counsel, the Abilene Board of Adjustments approved BA 2026-06, granting Angry Cactus a variance to allow a 240‑foot separation from a nearby charter school where 300 feet is normally required. The decision followed deliberations about measurement methods and whether a hardship existed.
The Abilene Board of Adjustments voted to approve BA 2026‑06, a variance request that allows Angry Cactus Abilene to seek an on‑premise alcohol permit with a 240‑foot separation from a nearby charter school where the code requires 300 feet.
Planning Manager Mason Teagarden summarized the staff presentation, saying, "The owner is Angry Cactus Abilene, and the request is a variance to allow a 240 foot separation between an on premise liquor store and a public school where 300 feet is required located at 833 South 1st Street." Teagarden told the board staff found no physical hardship unique to the property and noted the request "is not consistent with the intent of the land development code" but also flagged concerns about measurement and anticipated traffic impacts.
Proponent Tim Condon described his business experience and local plans: "We're super excited to be here in Abilene." Condon said Angry Cactus expects to operate primarily as a food‑oriented restaurant rather than a bar and that he had been communicating with neighborhood stakeholders.
Board members debated whether the measurement should be property line to property line (the code's current practice) or front door to front door — a difference that can change the reported separation to over 300 feet. One member argued the site's configuration presented a practical hardship, stating, "I think that it is a hardship." The board briefly entered executive session to seek the city attorney's advice and returned to the dais with no formal decisions made in closed session.
A motion to approve the variance, predicated on the board's articulated hardship findings related to site configuration and intervening structures, passed on a voice vote. The approval allows the applicant to proceed with the city's variance documentation and then pursue the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission licensing process.
