Council moves to permit food trucks with temporary rules; staff to add insurance, permit language

Lake Placid — After lengthy public comment and divided input from downtown businesses, council members and residents, the Lake Placid Town Council approved a temporary ordinance setting rules for mobile vendors and food trucks on public property, while directing staff to add permit and insurance language and produce a refined ordinance for final action next month.

The motion approved at the meeting allows mobile food facilities to operate on designated public areas (examples discussed included the outside of sidewalks at DeVane Circle and specified public parking areas) and sets operational limits: vendors must serve to the sidewalk (not into the roadway), operate from the sidewalk side, avoid handicapped spaces and hatched accessibility zones, and avoid stopping within 20 feet of a crosswalk. The council amended the draft to require parallel placement (not perpendicular/angled) and to permit up to three parallel parking spaces for a vendor, and it removed the draft clause banning generators after vendors and town staff said generators are commonly used and necessary.

The ordinance was described to the council as an interim or “get‑by” measure while the town contracts with outside planning counsel to craft a comprehensive permanent code update. Town attorney feedback in the meeting emphasized that an effective moratorium or change must be enacted by ordinance; staff framed this document as a stopgap so events and vendors can operate with predictable rules while more detailed code language is drafted and vetted.

Business owners, including Journal Plaza merchants and other downtown operators, voiced both support and substantial concern. Some downtown businesses said food trucks can increase foot traffic and help events; others warned that allowing vendors on public property near brick‑and‑mortar businesses risks diverting customers and invited long‑term conflicts. Several speakers asked that any permitting system require proof of insurance naming the town as an additional insured; council instructed the attorney to prepare that language.

Council also directed several edits to the draft: (1) delete blanket prohibitions on compressors and generators, (2) prohibit parking within 20 feet of crosswalks, (3) restrict mobile vending on public property to council‑designated locations (rather than open lawful parking across the town), (4) require parallel placement facing the sidewalk and allow up to three contiguous parallel spaces, (5) require vendors to cease sales and move within a short, reasonable time if ordered by police for public safety (the council discussed a 30‑minute allowance to secure goods and clear the site), and (6) staff to return with draft permit/insurance language that would require proof of commercial insurance naming the town as an insured party.