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City staff to revise Bike Week vendor rules after large public workshop
Summary
City staff presented proposed revisions to Bike Week itinerant-vendor guidelines after a public workshop attended by about 100 people, saying online applications and faster review are being introduced and that parking, fee structures and certain vendor types (including portable tattoo artists) drew substantial pushback.
City staff told the Economic Development Board that they will compile public comments and bring revised Bike Week itinerant-vendor guidelines to a future city commission workshop after a January workshop that drew about 100 attendees.
The staff member said, “We had about a 100 people show up. We actually had to move it. We were in the the Atlantic Room at the Peabody and actually had to move the meeting into the auditorium because there were so many people.” The comments will be combined with online feedback and presented to the commission for further revision, the staff member said.
The revisions include moving the application process online and shortening internal review times. “When we just did it for Oktoberfest, we got the whole process from the time that we opened up the application, process to the actual approval by the task force, in about 75 days,” the staff member said, contrasting that with the prior 90-to-120-day timeline.
Staff said the online process routes applications immediately to all reviewing departments so applicants can receive comments within days and know early whether they must change site plans or meet conditions. The staff member described typical conditions: keeping cooking tents and cooking vehicles at least 10 feet from other vehicles and receiving conditional approvals contingent on meeting those requirements.
Parking outside Cromwell and use of residential lots inside the Bike Week master plan boundaries drew pushback from residents; staff said those objections will be forwarded to the commission. Staff also flagged a review of the fee structure for itinerant vendors, noting the possibility of different fees for Bike Week (a 10-day event) and Oktoberfest (a shorter event with concentrated activity).
Certain vendor types prompted specific opposition at the workshop. The staff member said portable tattoo artists were among those that “received quite a bit pushback.” Staff will compile those concerns and present them along with the broader guidelines to the commission.
The staff member stressed the process is iterative: after the workshop and commission feedback, staff will revise the guidelines and seek formal approval at a future commission meeting. No formal changes or commission votes were reported at the Economic Development Board meeting.
Less-critical details include staff-level procedural changes that are intended to speed approvals and the plan to recommend fee adjustments; staff said those proposals will come to the commission in a subsequent workshop.
