Council keeps 200-foot downtown buffer for food trucks but exempts occasional vendors from city business license

The Washington City Council on Sept. 22 decided not to reduce the downtown buffer that restricts mobile food vendors within 200 feet of certain downtown businesses and approved an ordinance amendment to exempt mobile vendors who operate fewer than 10 times annually from obtaining a city business license.

City staff presented maps showing alternate buffer distances (100 feet and 50 feet) and said the 200-foot buffer, adopted in 2023, was intended to protect brick-and-mortar businesses from competition that could locate immediately adjacent to storefronts. Staff said keeping the buffer at 200 feet is administratively simpler and easier for police to enforce than trying to define "restaurant" in code.

Council discussion included concern about food trucks blocking storefronts if allowed too close. One councilmember said, "I just think we need to protect our downtown," referencing the businesses that pay property and sales taxes.

Several vendors and proponents asked for more flexibility. Josh McDowell, speaking on behalf of his wife, who operates "Bridal Crunch," said the 200-foot restriction effectively prevented her from positioning in downtown locations she had expected to use. "We were presented with a map that had a few dots on it. They said you have to stay 200 feet away from these buildings. When we tried to show up where we thought we could sit, we were told the map was fluid," McDowell said. He asked the council to consider refunding half of his permit fee because the restriction removed a large portion of intended locations.

Councilmembers said many festival or event situations are handled differently: event organizers can request use of city parking lots, secure required insurance and permits, and vendors can operate within those event footprints even if they fall inside the 200-foot downtown buffer. Staff clarified the distinction between roadside stand permits (issued for a specific private-property location and valid for up to 10 days per calendar year on that site) and the mobile vendor vending district permit; vendors who use the city permit fewer than 10 times annually would not be required to purchase a business license under the adopted amendment but must still obtain health and fire approvals.

The council voted to adopt an ordinance amending section 605.05 of the municipal code to exempt mobile food vendors that operate fewer than 10 days per year from the city's commercial business license requirement; the ordinance was described as not changing health department or fire inspection requirements and not altering the 200-foot buffer in the zoning map at this time.

Staff said they will bring back any map-based code changes if the council wants to revisit buffer distances, but for now the map and the 200-foot standard remain in force. Vendors looking to participate in organized events on city-owned property were advised to work with event organizers and city staff to secure permits, insurance and, where applicable, temporary lot rentals.