Posted May 23, 2014
An
ordinance amendment which could affect the distance that food trucks would have
to operate from restaurants is in consideration, according to an article by
Jarrel Wade, World Staff Writer, available here. Charlotte recently
proposed a similar ordinance that can be found on the Ag and Food Law blog here.
City
staff recommended the proposed increase, from 150 feet to 300 feet, which was
criticized by some food truck owners. The ordinance would give authorities the
ability to issue warnings or tickets to food trucks that park within the
regulated distance of a bricks-and-mortar restaurant, and is intended to
protect restaurant owners, who have property taxes, from mobile vendors.
Councilor
Blake Ewing, owner of three downtown restaurants and sponsor of the amendment, said
food truck owners criticized the proposed amendment as a conflict of interest
for Ewing. Food truck owners argued the increased distance would exclude them
from high-density restaurant areas.
“I pulled the ordinance, and we’re
setting up a public meeting to discuss the issue before we even attempt to take
any action on it,” Ewing said.
Ewing said he supports food trucks,
and that he is even in the process of creating his own food truck. The proposal
was established with the help of food truck owner, Josh Lynch, and is intended
to clarify and update the rules for vendors and prevent food trucks from
parking directly outside a restaurant.
Ewing said a town-hall style meeting
would be organized to meet with food truck vendors so that more input can be
collected before changes are made to the ordinance.
For
more information on local food systems, please visit the National Agricultural
Law Center’s website here.
