By Susan Dickson
Staff Writer
CHAPEL HILL – Citing concerns about enforcement and funding, the Chapel Hill Town Council on Monday again postponed a decision on a proposed food truck ordinance that would allow the trucks within town limits.
Last month, the council opened a public hearing on the proposed regulations, which the council directed staff to develop in May. The discussion stems from a petition last year by Lex Alexander, owner of 3Cups café on Elliott Road, that the town change regulations to allow food trucks.
Town planner Kendal Brown told council members that allowing food trucks would not guarantee a tax-revenue stream and that staff have not yet determined the costs of enforcing regulations, though the town could recoup a modest amount of funding from permitting fees.
Under the regulations, mobile food vendors would be required to pay sales tax on sales made in Orange County, though staff have said that could be difficult to enforce, given the transient nature of the trucks.
“Food trucks are not an 8-to-5, Monday-through-Friday operation,†Town Manager Roger Stancil said. “If we are going to enforce anything that you adopt, then we need to have 24-hour coverage seven days a week.â€
That enforcement, Stancil added, would need to be funded by the town’s already stretched budget.
Council members asked staff to look into raising the suggested fees for mobile food vendors, which as proposed total $118.
Council members said they felt that food trucks could add to the vibrancy of downtown.
“We have some amazing restaurants on Franklin Street, but we don’t have duck fat-fried potatoes on Franklin Street,†council member Donna Bell said. “I think that there are spaces for us to have new food experiences.â€
Bell added that food trucks could help fill in the spaces unoccupied by businesses to encourage pedestrians to explore farther along downtown streets.
Jody Argote, owner of Parlez-Vous Crepe, encouraged the council to allow mobile food vendors in Chapel Hill.
“I faithfully pay my annual sales tax, as do all of the other food truck vendors that I know,†she said, adding that because her business is unique, she draws in customers from other areas, who might then spend money with other businesses in Chapel Hill.
Katrina Ryan, owner of Sugarland Bakery on Franklin Street, said she felt that food trucks wouldn’t add anything valuable to the already rich local-food scene.
“There are no local jobs created, there isn’t any financial benefit to the town, so I don’t see any upside,†she said.
The draft ordinance proposes allowing food trucks on private, commercially zoned lots, subject to approval by the property owner. Food trucks would have to be at least 100 feet from the customer entrance of a restaurant during its hours of operation and could not provide seating.
In the downtown area, trucks would only be allowed to operate in lots with at least five parking spaces and an existing business in a permanent building, while the business is closed. One truck would be allowed per 1,500 square feet of parking lot.
Outside the downtown area, trucks could operate while the existing business is open and trucks would be limited to one vendor per acre or per 30 parking spaces.
The council will revisit the ordinance at a public hearing on Jan. 23.