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Oakland staff previews telecom siting, Tub Street overlay and food-truck rules as development interest grows
Summary
Town leaders outlined a telecom ordinance to allow cell towers on town-owned land, a Tub Street overlay to encourage mixed-use development along SR 50, and plans to revisit food-truck rules after state limits on banning vendors; about 19 potential developments along SR 50 are being vetted.
Mayor Shane Taylor and town staff used the March 24 meeting to preview several near-term policy initiatives as the town prepares for development activity along State Road 50.
Taylor said the town is drafting a telecom ordinance that would allow siting of cell towers on designated town-owned property (the mayor referenced land behind the police department as a candidate site). The ordinance will be paired with a special-exception process and the town manager said staff will issue an RFP to solicit carrier/operator proposals for tower placement and operation. "Once that ordinance and... special exception is completed, the town manager will go out to an RFP to solicit bids for an operator carrier," the mayor said.
Staff also described a proposed Tub Street overlay ordinance to create a main-street corridor and attract mixed-use commercial development between SR 50 and the town center. The mayor said the overlay would address gaps and contradictions in the land-development code, create streetscape standards and allow a mix of retail, restaurant and residential uses tailored to the town’s character. Town staff reported roughly 19 potential development proposals in various stages along SR 50; some are conceptual while others are further along the review pipeline.
Commissioners and staff discussed food trucks and the limits the state law places on municipal bans. The town manager said the town had set baseline recommendations previously and would revisit the rules if food-truck activity became more frequent, focusing on enforcement questions such as licensing, designated locations and property-owner permission. "We started looking at a food truck ordinance when the state said that we could not disallow food trucks... part of what we came into is we just had a couple food trucks in town... we would revisit at that time," a staff member said.
Staff warned that the recently completed legislative session produced bills headed to the governor that may be "not friendly to municipalities" and that the town is watching potential impacts on property taxes and municipal responsibilities. Town staff created a property-tax information page to inform residents as the situation develops.
No ordinances were adopted at the meeting; staff said the telecom and Tub Street proposals will be drafted and routed through planning review and legal review before returning to the commission.
