Tomorrow, City Hall to Look at How to Park Food Trucks Downtown (and Elsewhere!)

By Robert Wilonsky Wed., Sep. 15 2010 at 9:30 AM

Categories: City Hall, Development, Dish

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Perhaps it's but a matter of time before the city finally lets one of America's most-favorite food trucks park downtown.

Nancy Nichols did a bang-up piece in the August issue of D chronicling the myriad reasons mobile restaurateurs have had issues parking their burgeoning parade of food trucks in and around downtown (parking meters and the need to acquire a seemingly endless laundry list of permits from Dallas City Hall, for starters). To which Arts District exec director and former council person Veletta Lill responded: Fine, then, let's rewrite the development code and clear out those roadblocks.

Tomorrow, the City Plan Commission will begin that very process: According to its agenda, and this is so City Hall, there will be "a public hearing to decide whether to authorize a public hearing" that would amend the zoning in and around the Arts District "to allow the use of a conveyance as a building for foods preparation from mobile vans and trucks and regulated regulations." Between the two items on the agenda, the areas affected are bound by Woodall Rodgers, Central Expressway, Ross Avenue and St. Paul Street, with some gaps in between.

But that's not all: I asked Theresa O'Donnell, head of Sustainable Development and Construction, for a few more details, and she says the Arts District proposal is but one floating around City Hall: "We've gotten a few inquiries for other parts of town as well -- Fort Worth Avenue and another I can't tell you about." Aw, c'mon. "It's pretty cool," she writes via e-mail.

Still, she notes, this is the beginning of the beginning of the process: "On the city-side, we're still working on getting our arms around it -- health permits, parking, etc. -- but we love the concept and are trying to understand how to handle it through our processes." I know of at least one plan commissioner who wants food trucks not only in the Arts District, but in all of downtown.

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@ Gus. Food trucks are required to obtain the same licenses, pay for insurance, pay rent at a commissary, subject to inspection and pay fuel costs. As a matter of fact, food trucks are at a disadvantage because of the parking restrictions currently enforced. Food trucks also generate tax dollars paid to the area in which they are operating. How is that unfair to a brick and mortar? Just saying!
Anyone who is against abolishing these anti-competitive regulations better be folks that believe Ralph Nadar does not propose enough government regulations. Fad or not (somehow I think people buying and eating food in the street has been going on for hundreds of years), a vibrant and interesting city needs to be able to quickly adapt to the changing tastes and desires of the part of the population that goes out and DOES things. Dallas is really putting a great foot forward with the expansion of city parks and the arts district. It makes me really proud to be living here. However, without a culture that helps the little guys, with their food trucks and Deep Ellum music venues, who actually put life into the provided shell, these improvements will be all for naught.
From Q2U I will be more than happy to see this antiquated city ordinance abolished.The ignorance and and protectionist laws of the City must begin to allow all business to flourish large and small alike.I had a coversation with a regional manager a large supermarket chain(fiesta),he informed me that Dallas is the only major city in Texas that will not permit them to serve street food,
The food trucks normally go to construction sites during breakfast and lunch and move on after about thirty min.they make money moving around to as many location as possible.Many of their customers would not go into a restaurant because of their dress and dirt from work.
Ok - this is really just pissing me off!! Dallas is full of soulless, crappy, mediocre chain restaurants. ANYTHING that provides small local entrepreneurs that chance to start a business without a huge investment not only creates jobs (ask the Torchy's owners) but gives us access to GOOD FOOD, or they die. I thought all you Tea Baggers were against excess regulations?? I guess you are except when you are not. I thought all you Palinistas were for the "Small Business Owners" because they are the "job creators"??? I guess you are until you bought a strip center as an investment and need that fat Subway and Baja Fresh lease to make your nut. hypocrites
Daniel describes a future I can really get behind.
@Gus Yes, and because food trucks are the new streetcars (remember them?). In a little known act of the US Congress two years ago, the US Constitution's Bill of Rights was amended to include the right to food trucks and streetcars for hipsters and the gentrifying.
Does downtown Austin suffer from this problem Gus keeps talking about??? I'm all for the food trucks. I bet they will generate more nightlife and activity (like an Austin sixth street feel) downtown, i want to be able to stay downtown and not have to use the car to find something to do (unless we have to visit family in North Dallas)
I'd hate to get my head bit off here for chiming in but is anyone remembering that food trucks, and street vendors etc are (typically) in direct support of small business owners in Dallas? Do you think Taco Bell, Jason's Deli, or name any number of mega corps. have anymore right to be serving our community than a small business owners who live locally? I think Dallas has seen the effects of catering to large corporations over giving support to their community in years past. Is anyone else surprised to know that communities these days are striving by channeling their efforts back into their community in support of small businesses instead of spending all their hard earned cash on foreign owned and out of state owned businesses? I'm all for the food trucks and what they represent. Now we just have to make sure regulations are in place to prevent other issues such as grease dumping, carbon monoxide emissions, etc.
Gus, Not only restaurants, but by 2050, all forms of commerce will be conducted by mobile vehicle. Upscale clothiers will tool through Preston Hollow, with Pop Goes the Weasel a-blaring the siren call to housewives firm and matrons flaccid. Drive-through banks will become drive-<i>by</i> banks. Our thoroughfares will become clogged with hawkers of bric-a-brac, rolling electronics bazaars jostling for space with fruitmongers and shoe-hustling slicksters. You'd better start swinmming, or you'll sink like a stone. Seriously, though, the food truck is admittedly a faddish take on street food, but street food it is unmistakably, and Dallas sorely, sorely lacks same. Great cities will still have great street food 100 years hence, on that much I'd place a bet.
I've been wondering this about City Streets Grille: how are they getting around this portion of the Dallas City Code? Chapter 17, Article VIII, Section F (F) A mobile food preparation vehicle must: (iv) not stop for more than 60 consecutive minutes at any one location to sell or serve food and not sell or serve food from any one location for more than a total of three hours within any 24-hour period; Also, Bob's Chop House is zoned PD. From the Dallas Development Code: SEC. 51A-4.603. USE OF CONVEYANCE AS A BUILDING. (j) A person may use a conveyance as a building for food preparation from mobile vans and trucks provided: (1) the conveyance is only allowed in the CS, LI, IR, and IM districts;
I think that the bigger picture is that for eons the machinery at City Hall has been slow, bureaucratic and completely clueless as to the desires and needs of it's citizens. Even if this is only a "concession" to a fad it is a very small but significant step into Dallas moving out of the shadow of its "Club Bubba" mentality. Initiatives like these can ultimately lead to the real changes that need to happen to help make the city and county of Dallas get over its chamber room squabbles, corruption and cronyism and become a real world class city and not a Podunk in wrapped in vanity bridges and empty city owed property.
Im not a business owner but I dont feel like building a restaurant in an appropriate location and obtaining all the required licenses and permits should be considered a competitive advantage. How can it be good for downtown to have some truck hauling money out eveyday. Seems what would be good for downtown would be to elevate the brick and mortar storefronts. Daniel, guess you dont really understand the definition of a fad. Or are you telling me that in the future all restaurants in the 21st Century will be on wheels.
How in Hell do you think they cook your burger at Twisted Root? Kryptonite? Why, fossil fuel, dear boy!
Food trucks sound cool and all, but I'm pretty sure that fossil-fuel powered restaurants aren't "the 21st century".
I haven't seen any mobile billboard trucks putting fixed billboards out of business. I support the mobile food truck idea. Just another idea to keep people from leaving downtown at lunchtime.
@Gus Mitchem There is no doubt that your comment will bring some negativity, but it seems that you are asking the city to give you a competitive advantage over other business owners.
City Street can't seem to get its act together- wasn't even open yesterday.
Fad, my ass, Gus. Taste the 21st century. Compete or drown. Don't like it, ply your tender wares in China. Has anybody supped at City Streets Grille? It's an up-and-running food truck, and its "wrap" graphics look very cheesy -- like an in-room city guide at a suite motel -- but that doesn't mean the food isn't good. Anyone?
So the city is going to rewrite the code to accomidate a fad, and the detriment of actual law abiding, permit holding storefronts? So folks in downtown Dallas can act like they are in LA