Village Board backs staff move to renew French Market license, consider new summer food‑truck nights

The Village Board Committee of the Whole on Jan. 13 reviewed a staff proposal to amend and renew the French Market license for 2025 and to add a new Lisle food‑truck market on weekday evenings during the summer.

Village staff and market representatives described a two‑stage plan: keep the French Market at its current Garfield Avenue location for the 2025 season and move it to commuter lot B along Burlington Avenue in 2026, where officials say the lot can accommodate 36–40 vendors. Ben Sedoun, the market operator, and staff also proposed a separate Lisle food‑truck evening once a month between June 1 and Sept. 30.

The market matter matters because trustees said they want the event to drive downtown foot traffic and benefit brick‑and‑mortar shops while also ensuring public‑safety, vendor quality and a reliable schedule for vendors and customers.

Matt, a village presenter, told the board the existing license (in place since 2006) authorized the current operation on Garfield Avenue and that the present site can support a maximum of 20 vendors. Matt said resurfacing and restriping of Lot B is scheduled for the coming summer and that Ben Sedoun has agreed to cover relocation costs, including coring and installation of anchors, if the market moves there. "For the 2026 market season and beyond, Benson is proposing to relocate the market to commuter lot b along Burlington Avenue. This location can support 36 to 40 vendors," Matt said.

Leslie Cahill, listed in the packet as market manager, said: "It would be really great if we could move in 2026 to try to accommodate a larger market. That would be our 20th anniversary in Lisle, and we've had a great working relationship and really love the community." Cahill and Ben Sedoun said they expect a larger footprint to help recruit more vendors and increase customer draw.

Trustees pressed staff and the operator for more data and quality controls. Trustee Duffy noted the current site averages about 19 vendors and cited the market‑survey results in the packet; the survey returned 261 responses and, Duffy said, showed mixed opinions of the vendor mix. Duffy asked for estimates of weekly foot traffic, the share of non‑Lisle patrons and a vendor‑quality recruitment plan before approving a longer contract. Trustee Duffy also requested that staff verify safety measures to separate vehicle and pedestrian flows and suggested staff be prepared to move jersey barriers as needed.

Other board members raised related points: Trustee Olson and Trustee Lesniak said the village should be prepared to market the market and coordinate with downtown businesses, including offering the chamber of commerce a regular presence. Trustee Mullen and Trustee Syma supported keeping the food‑truck nights separate from the Saturday French Market, saying the two event types draw different crowds. Trustee Greco urged the village to find a permanent downtown location and supported moving to Lot B in 2026.

Trustees discussed event minimums and incentives. Ben Sedoun said he would target six food trucks for a first‑year food‑truck night, and trustees asked staff to consider minimum‑vendor requirements or service‑level commitments in the licensing language so an event would not run with only two trucks. Staff said the first‑year food‑truck nights were proposed as a once‑a‑month pilot but could be increased if the board desired. Matt and staff said the village would coordinate necessary power, staging and any entertainment requirements.

On fees and compliance, staff noted the village is proposing to increase the per‑market event fee charged to the operator from $10 to $50 (the fee is for each market event, not per stall). Staff also said vendors at the market must provide valid Illinois sales tax license numbers and that the village reports vendor information to the Illinois Department of Revenue monthly, though the state’s remittance timing and vendor privacy can limit immediate local verification.

Trustees described several specific next steps they expect before approving a longer term: clearer marketing responsibilities, vendor recruitment targets (including a goal for fresh‑food/produce sellers), minimum vendor counts or other SLAs in the agreement, and better foot‑traffic or raffle‑style data collection at the market. Director Elias (public works) explained the existing anchors in Lot B are degraded and that installing new anchors now would likely require redoing some work after the planned resurfacing; estimated contractor costs to install anchors now and again after resurfacing could be roughly $3,000–$4,000 per installation cycle (two cycles might total $8,000–$10,000), and temporary relocation during resurfacing would be disruptive.

Staff asked for direction to prepare a 2025 amendment to the French Market license and a supplemental agreement for Lisle food‑truck markets; the board indicated general support for staff moving forward to draft the formal amendment and conditions discussed, and staff said it would return a formal amendment for board consideration. "We can ask for a bare minimum number," staff said when trustees asked about minimums for the food‑truck nights.

Trustees also praised long‑time local volunteers who support the market and asked staff to coordinate with the park district and downtown businesses on scheduling, promotion and site amenities such as picnic tables to encourage visitors to linger.

What’s next: staff will draft the proposed 2025 amendment and the supplemental event agreement reflecting the board’s comments, including such items as incentive language tied to vendor mix, minimum vendor commitments for food‑truck nights and marketing expectations. The board signaled willingness to approve a one‑year stay at the current Garfield Avenue site for 2025 followed by relocation to Lot B in 2026 once resurfacing and anchor work are complete.

Trustee requests and staff responses from the meeting will be incorporated into the draft amendment returned to the board for formal action.