Council approves alcohol sales for Prime Corner store
Jan. 25—Having unsuccessfully petitioned the Cleburne City Council for a variance to sell alcohol at his convenience store, Prime Corner owner Mansoor Aziz renewed his request during Tuesday's council meeting.
Aziz this time presented evidence of support for his request, support which convinced council members to unanimously grant the variance.
Specifically, Aziz applied to the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission for a permit to sell beer and wine at his store at 1713 Country Club Road for off-premise consumption.
The city's application review in that process involves confirmation that the property is appropriately zoned and meets any relevant distance requirements, Cleburne City Secretary Ivy Peterson said.
"Ordinances require a business selling alcohol to be located at least 300 feet from a public school, and the distance is measured in a direct line from the property line," Peterson said.
Under those measurement guidelines, Smith Intermediate School sits about 80 feet from Prime Corner.
A full house of residents in support of Aziz' request attended Tuesday's meeting and several spoke before council.
Those same residents turned in 53 cards addressing the matter, 50 of which noted support for the request. A petition in favor of the request circulated through surrounding neighborhoods drew more than 200 signatures, Peterson added.
"I live in the neighborhood just behind Prime Corner and also serve as HOA president of the 68 homes in our neighborhood," Cleburne resident David Perez said. "I've visited with homeowners in the neighborhood and have heard overwhelming support for this."
Aziz pointed out that his store opened before the school was built at a time when Cleburne was still a dry city and added that no crosswalk connects the school's property to his. A large field and busy roadway separate both as well, Aziz added.
Others pointed out that the lack of ability to sell beer and wine at the store frequently causes customers to go elsewhere while still others praised Aziz' hard work ethic and the store's community benefits such as the fact that the store sells fishing equipment for nearby Lake Pat Cleburne. Another speaker set the probability of 5th and 6th grade students trekking to Prime Corner after school to stock up on beer slim at best.
"When this request came up previously, the petition presented at that time was signed by a lot of people who were not from the area neighborhoods," Mayor Scott Cain said. "But this one is, and we appreciate the solid feedback you've provided this time from the community in the area."
Councilman Derek Weathers agreed.
"The last time this came up I didn't feel there was enough community feedback on the matter," Weathers said. "This time, overwhelmingly I think there is. That's important because this dais is not our. This dais is yours, and that's why it's important that we hear from residents on these type issues."
