Council approves food-truck permit for Pumpkin Town Place, directs ordinance changes

The South Berwick Town Council voted to permit a food-truck operation at Pumpkin Town Place and directed staff and the town attorney to revise the town’s food-truck ordinance to clarify allowed commercial locations, hours of operation and sanitation requirements.

Councilor Alan, who presented the application and the related staff review, said he found the proposed use “reasonable, appropriate and compatible with the site and surrounding commercial uses” but recommended that the ordinance be adjusted to reflect the town’s intent for commercial properties. Alan told colleagues the current ordinance language is unclear about whether commercial B1/B2 zones are included and about how long a vendor may remain at one location.

A staff member identified as the code officer raised a practical concern: “One of the biggest concerns in my mind as a code officer is how they are going to dispose of their waste,” and noted connections to sewer and waste handling would need to be resolved for any semi-permanent placement on private property.

Councilors agreed to approve the Pumpkin Town Place permit on a recorded voice vote and to authorize the town attorney to draft specific ordinance language to address site categories, permitted times and sanitary connections before adopting any broader rule changes. The council also discussed treating similar requests on a case-by-case basis while the ordinance language is updated.

The action carried with the members present voting in favor. The council said it will return with proposed ordinance amendments and a clearer permitting checklist before expanding approvals beyond individual approvals such as this one.