Food Truck Fees Being Reviewed
By Robin Vinci | Editor at March 4, 2024 | 9:45 am | Print
Hopes are that later this Spring food trucks will be found at Central Park.
This month the Council is reviewing fees and licenses that make up just what is classified as a food establishment in order to set rules allowing food trucks downtown.
“The new resolutions would allow food trucks to be present near Central Park where we made parallel parking,” said Mayor Erin Stewart. “There are six spots where food trucks can come and give people an option for lunch.”
The resolutions are expected to be completed in March and then the City will take applications.
“We are seeing food trucks pop up all over. Bushnell Park has 7 or 8 food trucks,” said Stewart. “I want to recreate that here so people have more options.”
Stewart said this will help businesses downtown including restaurants.
“Giving people more choices, brings people downtown,” said Stewart. “All businesses will benefit from that.”
Although changes will be looked at more closely some areas of concern include defining food vehicle areas.
Some of the rules being changed or modified are as follows:
- The application for such license shall be on forms provided by the Director of Licenses, Permits, and Inspections.
- No person shall sell or offer for sale merchandise, food or drinks of any kind or description from parked vehicles or mobile units on Main Street between North Street and Franklin Square or on Franklin Square from Main Street to Whiting Street or on any street which intersects Main Street or Franklin Square for a distance of three thousand feet from the point at which such street intersects Main Street or Franklin Square except in locations that are designated by the City of New Britain for mobile food vendors or in connection with a parade, bazaar, circus, or similar community event for which a license has been issued.
- No person shall sell or offer for sale merchandise of any kind or description, including, but not limited to, foodstuffs within three thousand feet of any public, parochial or private school at the time of dismissal or for one-half hour following dismissal except in locations that are designated by the City of New Britain for mobile food vendors.
- It shall be the duty of the Department of Licenses, Permits and Inspections police officers of the city to examine all places of business and persons in their respective territories subject to the provisions of this article, to determine if this article has been complied with and to enforce the provisions of this article against any person found to be violating the same.
- Amplified sound or sound equipment must comply with Chapter 16, Article V of the City of New Britain Noise Ordinances regarding noise.
- Designated food truck areas shall be open to mobile food vehicles on a first come-first served basis.
- Each vendor unit shall be permitted separately. The initial fee for said vendor’s license shall be pro-rated on a daily basis from the date of approval of the license until June 30th. Vendor permits must be renewed every July 1st.
- Each mobile food vehicle vendor that uses metered parking spaces designated in a mobile food vehicle area between the hours of 6 a.m. and 7 p.m., Monday through Friday shall be required to prepay parking permit fees for said designated spaces of at a daily rate.
