One of the amendments would only allow vendors to operate between 7 a.m.-6 p.m., Director of the Health Department Bill Alsup said. Under the current rules, short-term mobile food vendors are limited to 10 consecutive hours of operation in one spot.
This regulation could be overruled if the property the food truck is on has different hours, Alsup added. In this case, the vendor could operate in tandem with the tenant.
Another amendment would require that food trucks only serve as an accessory use to the primary use of the property. This would ensure that vendors serve the property they are on and do not attract the general public, Alsup said.
Lastly, vendors seeking to operate outside of these regulations would need to acquire a special permit through City Council. Special permits would allow for flexibility in certain unique areas, such as the Innovation District.
“There is still a path forward if you want to do that,” Alsup said.
Council Member Steve Mitchell expressed his concerns about not establishing a specific distance regulation between food trucks and their respective properties.
Staff looked into this and was unable to choose a distance that would work for all situations, Deputy City Manager Don Magner said. Instead, they chose to go with a performance standard, he said.
“We didn’t feel like we could pick one number that was applicable and that would fairly and equitably apply,” he said.
Council is scheduled to vote on revisions to the ordinance at its Jan. 27 meeting.
