With more lingering questions from city officials, City Councilors Tuesday kicked new food truck regulations back to the Law and Public Safety Committee for review.
“Obviously we are a long way from where we thought we might have been,” said Councilor John Odom.
Councilors raised concerns about distance, emissions and hours of operation. Mayor Charles Meeker said he believes there should be more than the proposed 100 feet between food trucks and brick and mortar restaurants.
City planner Ken Bowers said that those agreements would be between the property owner and the vendor, but that as long as the proper permits were in place, there could be more than one food truck on the property.
Councilor Thomas Crowder expressed concern with the ability of food trucks to congregate in large vacant lots, particularly ones that were unpaved.
“We could end up having a real food truck rodeo,” Crowder said. “And it could be a real problem.”
He also questioned late-night operation hours near residential areas and the possible blocking of travel lanes.
Klausie’s food truck owner Mike Stenke, who has led the charge to allow food trucks in Raleigh, said people were “talking with fear and not with common sense.”
“At this point I just want to see a rule passed,” he said.
Lucas Kinnin, a Raleigh native who wants to open a brunch truck, called it a social studies lesson on how bureaucracy really works.
“It seems like we’re hitting a brick wall,” Kinnin said.
Read more about the proposed ordinance:
Food Trucks Could Get a New Lease in Raleigh
