The application for the additions to the incoming Braum’s sign has been approved.

Abilene city manager Robert Hanna said a building permit to construct a Braum’s has not been issued yet.

The staff members who brought the variance to be approved by the board of directors are his employees, Hanna said.

“What a sign variance is, is we have standards in our ordinances that says what you can and can’t do,” Hanna said. “If you need a variance, it has to go to a board of citizens to look at that and decide if it makes sense to go ahead and grant that or not.”

The board voted for the approval of the variance, Hanna said.

Hanna said Braum’s is coming to Abilene because the company looked at Abilene’s market data and household income. They also looked to see if any retail gap was available for their product. Hanna said there was.

From what Hanna saw in Facebook comments, he said a lot of people in Abilene are excited to have a Braum’s.

“I came from Dennis and we had one, and it’s a great little restaurant for folks who are interested in ice cream and hamburgers. I think it’s good for the community,” Hanna said.

But Mari Cocherell, communication and media relations manager of Abilene, said only a sign variance for Braum’s has been applied for and nothing else.

Cocherell said the decision to bring Braum’s to Abilene would be up to the market and not to the city.

“It’s in the 8000 block of FM 707 and that will be on the north side, the lot adjacent to the front of Mesquite Forest, which is a neighborhood,” Cocherell said about the application of where the sign will be.

“If zoning is okay for a commercial like that, the only other things that they would be submitting to the city would be permits to actually start the building,” Cocherell said.

The only structure that is sure to go on the 8000 block for now is the sign.

Hanna said there will likely be a 12-month construction window to build the Braum’s.