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.
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