Council weighs clearer cityland lease rules for food trucks and mobile vendors; museum coffee vendor seeks annual spot

Syracuse City Council discussed a broad draft policy to govern how the city rents or leases city-owned land — including park parking lots and small corners of municipal lots — to mobile vendors such as food trucks, seasonal vendors and the specific proposal from a coffee vendor seeking an annual lease at the museum’s Centennial Park parking lot.

City planning/business-licensing staff Noah said the city already rents park pavilions and occasional parking-lot space under a fee schedule, "but when it's a city-owned property that's not a park property ... it's not entirely clear whether or not it's a park property or a city owned non-park property or a museum property," he told the council. Staff and council members reviewed where decision authority should lie, whether council wants to allow year-round leases as well as seasonal rentals, and whether the city should identify and preapprove specific parking-lot locations for lease.

Councilmembers and department directors…