Revere Planning Board backs zoning amendment to allow food trucks on private property, recommends 45 dBA limit

The Revere Planning Board on May 20 voted to recommend that the City Council amend the Revere Zoning Ordinance to define and allow food trucks on private property in a set of specified districts, and recommended the council include a 45 dBA maximum noise limit in any license approval.

The amendment would add a definition of “food truck” and permit the use only in certain zoning districts — RC-2 (Long Riverview Beach Boulevard area), PDD-1 (Suffolk Downs), Highway Business (around Squire Road) and the TED/North Shore Road area — and would make all food-truck activity on private property subject to yearly permits from Revere’s License Commission. The planning board’s recommendation also clarifies that food trucks would not be permitted on public ways under the proposed amendment.

Planning Department staff summarized the amendment during the public hearing, saying the change "is pretty simple" and that "it'd be none allowed on public ways, just on private property." The staff presentation said the ordinance currently limits food-truck locations to the listed districts and that any approved truck would still require a license from the License Commission.

Board members asked whether existing operators would be able to continue. The staff said three operators are already known to be likely to apply for licenses under the new rule. Board members also asked whether the License Commission would set hours of operation and whether food trucks would provide restroom access; staff replied that the commission sets hours and that seating and restroom provisions were not required by the zoning amendment.

During deliberations, Planning Board member Mr. Abrams offered the motion recommending the Council adopt the zoning amendment and include a decibel limit. "When they approve a license for a food truck ... that they put an ordinance there for decibels and recommend that they use the decibel limit of 45 dBA," Abrams said. The board approved the recommendation by voice vote; no opponents spoke during the hearing.

The planning board’s recommendation now goes to the Revere City Council for final action. If the council and the License Commission adopt the changes as recommended, food trucks would be authorized on private property in the listed districts under yearly licenses administered by the License Commission, and use on public ways would remain prohibited.