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Committee directs solicitor to draft food-truck ordinance after debate on hand carts, locations and limits
Summary
The parking committee asked the solicitor to prepare (but not advertise) a food-truck ordinance modeled on another town’s rules; members debated allowing hand carts, limiting trucks per block (proposed three), distance from brick-and-mortar restaurants, and university-owned right-of-way issues.
Ramsey presented a redlined draft food-truck ordinance and asked for committee feedback before bringing a cleaned version to council. The draft would regulate mobile food-service vehicles, require operable units, address generator and propane safety, and limit locations to specified areas (currently Church Street and university-adjacent zones).
Members discussed whether to allow non-motorized hand carts (hot-dog or ice-cream pushcarts). Staff and committee members said hand carts create accessibility issues on sidewalks and could conflict with business districts; the preliminary consensus was to exclude hand carts from permitted street vending at this time and instead consider private-property or university-hosted locations.
Distance rules in the draft would prohibit mobile food-service vehicles within 100 feet of brick-and-mortar restaurants; committee members flagged that wording because most campus-area trucks operate near the university. Members also discussed limiting trucks to three per block in permitted areas and requiring operability (not abandoned trucks). Staff said the university’s PUC area is subject to different property-control rules and may require separate coordination.
Ramsey moved that the solicitor prepare (but not yet advertise) a food-truck ordinance for further review; the committee agreed to return a cleaned ordinance next month with clarifications on distances from campus/schools, the status of hand carts, and the proposed cap per block.
