Food Trucks Could Get Approval by Raleigh City Council Tuesday

The past year has been a long road for local food trucks. We've been big advocates of the meals on the wheels since they first starting popping up a few years ago and are glad to at least see options on the table. Finally, Tuesday will be decision time for Raleigh City Council. The amendment to the Raleigh zoning ordinance will allow food trucks to operate in downtown as long as they adhere to a string of guidelines, most of which are geared towards protecting the business of restaurants currently in operation. 

We've talked to a few of the owners of trucks in town and most have been very hopeful that the city would come to some type of agreement to let their trucks operate in downtown. Otherwise, the chefs had plans to take their business elsewhere. Raleigh isn't the only city in the country going through this same process. While there are a lot of cities like Durham and Chapel Hill with flexible rules on food trucks, many are discussing the same issues as Raleigh. The New York Times put together a profile in Sunday's paper on the mobile food battles going on across the country.

Hopefully, we'll see some of those empty parking lots in the warehouse district and other parts of downtown start morphing into outdoor restaurants in the near future. Or at the least, we'll see more food trucks in Downtown Raleigh at more than just large scale events. Sometimes I just want to stop for a taco or a slice and keep walking. This new legislation may add that as an option, finally.

Below are a few of the regulations in the latest zoning code that food trucks must follow in order to operate in Raleigh. 

• Located on a lot containing a principal building(s) or use zoned SC, NB, BUS, TD, I-1 or I-2; and the maximum number of food trucks per lot shall be limited as follows:
                   • maximum of one (1) food truck on lots of one-half (1/2) acre or less;
                   • maximum of two (2) food trucks on lots between one-half (1/2) acre and one (1) acre;
                   • maximum of three (3) food trucks on lots greater than one acre and less than two (2) acres; and
                   • no maximum on lots two (2) acres or greater.  

• Located a minimum of 100 feet from the main entrance or outdoor dining area of any restaurant and 50 feet from any permitted food vending cart location

• Shall not occupy parking spaces required to fulfill the minimum requirements of the principal use;  

• No free-standing signage or audio amplification shall be permitted. Outdoor seating areas shall only be permitted on lots two (2) acres or greater. 

• Hours of operation shall be limited to between 6:00 a.m. and 3:00 a.m. unless located within 100 feet of a single family or duplex dwelling in which case the hours shall be limited between 7:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m.;

• Vendors shall remove all waste and trash at the end of each day and under no circumstances shall grease be released in the City’s sanitary sewer system.   

• The vendor shall provide evidence of having obtained a Raleigh Business License, NC Sales and Use Certificate, a Wake County Environmental Services – Vending Permit and a means for the disposal of grease within an approved grease disposal facility.  

• If at any time, the Wake County Environmental Services revokes or suspends the issued food vending permit, the City permit is revoked or suspended simultaneously.   

 

 

 

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