Years in the making, Lexington’s Food Truck Pilot Program is almost ready to hit the streets — after months of spirited debate at LFUCG and within the food truck work group, with all parties represented. Brick and mortars, food trucks, residential neighborhoods, the Parking Authority, council members, citizens, and one retired police captain have all had their exhaustive say. (At First Reading on May 23, the retiree colorfully told the Council that food trucks were inconsistent with the “luxury image” downtown is trying to perpetuate, and he fully expected that the “operation of food trucks would appear to be counterproductive to the types of luxury businesses that Lexington is trying to entice to its downtown area,” suggesting that they would run off prospects “such as the exceptional 21C boutique hotel.” (21C’s Proof on Main in Louisville operates its own gelato cart, @proofgelato.) Council Member Steve Kay blogged his reservations about an early iteration of the proposed pilot in May, and presented his concerns at first reading in May.
The food trucks rolled up to another hurdle last week, when the Lexington Parking Authority stipulated that food trucks parking in metered spots downtown as part of the Pilot would be limited to two hours, with no option for extending to four. The food truck community and food truck supporters within the Council pointed out that two hours would not allow time to set up, serve, break down, and clean up.
At Tuesday’s worksession earlier this week, Council Member Shevawn Akers proposed an amendment to the Pilot that would shift the starting hours to 5 pm (LexPark does not monitor Lexington’s metered spaces on nights and weekends.) Several council members asked for clarification, with council member Chris Ford pointing out, “all I know is what I’ve read in the newspaper.” The amended pilot will be presented at tonight’s Council Meeting for first reading, and the Council could opt to give it second reading as well.
As rewritten, the proposed pilot would not be subject to LexPark enforcement. LFUCG ceded parking enforcement over to the Parking Authority and LexPark in 2008. (Enforcement was formerly handled by Lexington Police.) The Parking Authority has a wildly unpopular job. No one is ever happy to see their LexPark enforcers coming —armed, as they are, with tickets, boots, and tow trucks. They ditched the free night-and-weekend parking for the Kentucky Theatre at the helix garage (now fully automated and human-less). At the Council Work Session debating (for hours) whether or not the Pilot would even advance to first reading, their staff stressed, at several points, how flexible they were directed to be (often provoking laughter within chambers). As unpopular as they are, as an entity, downtown advocates point out that the semi-privatization effort has cleaned up some of downtown’s parking messes and funded much-needed garage improvements. Their application of the two-hour restriction handed the food truck hot potato back to Council, where it will bounce around more this evening.
This morning, the Bluegrass Food Truck Association announced its support of the modified Food Truck Pilot Program that will be presented at tonight’s Council session.
Is it perfect? No. Will it anticipate and address every potential outcome and consequence, intended and unintended? No. It’s a pilot. A pilot is the next appropriate step in the process. Healthy debate is a vital step — the two-year anniversary of the formation of Lexington’s Itinerant Merchant Task Force was April 20. Two years is sufficient. In 2009, the city shut down Limestone for construction with considerably less debate than this. Downtown will ultimately be elevated for everyone as our vibrant dining corridors evolve and diversify — a rising tide lifts all boats. So, unless the proposed pilot includes fine print that involves boiling small children in oil to make the fries — with taxpayers footing the bill for the tallow processing — it’s time for the next step.
Related Food Truck Articles
Bluegrass Food Truck Association Forms 4.16.2012
Food truck fans and supporters argue (accurately) that a rising tide lifts all boats — vibrant culinary corridors enhance economic development — they don’t repel it. Read more…
Will Lexington Free the Food Trucks 5.09.2012
Two of the model cities visited in recent years — college towns Madison, Wisconsin and Austin, Texas – are known for their vibrant street food culture. They have each regulated the industry differently, but have arrived at a comparable end game: streets teeming with food lovers who can appreciate everything from a $2 buck peripatetic taco to a sitdown $20 dollar cocktail, all in the same evening, all in the span of a few city blocks. Read more…
Food Trucks: Keepin’ Austin Weird 5.09.2012
Get with the program Lexington. Legalize your food trucks, and may a 1000 new businesses bloom in a sort of bluegrass version of culinary perestroika. Read more…
Second Bluegrass Food Truck Blast 6.21.2012
As the Bluegrass Food Truck Association presents the 2nd Bluegrass Food Blast this weekend, the Food Trucks in Lexington are far from free. The pilot program forecast for this summer when the Task Force began meeting a year ago is not yet in place. Food trucks in Lexington occupied a tenuous, precarious Private-Property-Only position long before the Task Force was formed, and more than a year later, they still do. Read more….
Korean Pop Up Street Food in Lexington 10.26.2012
While Lexington’s Food Truck community is growing, Pop-Ups in general are relatively new and untried here (but are catching on in markets like Detroit). And the pancakes? They tasted of what this town hopes to grow up to be. Read more…
The Year in Lexington Food 2012
Although HuffPo insists that food trucks are over and offers 12 reasons why they’ve jumped the shark (“Taco Bell, Chick-fil-A and Rachael Ray’s dog food line all have food trucks”), the battle for street eats was still one of Lexington’s biggest food stories in 2012. And it rages on, with two food trucks shut down in early December for permitting issues. Read more…
Bluegrass Food Truck Association at LFUCG 1.17.2013
Mayor Jim Gray said, “I feel like we’ve got some pretty good problem solvers in the administration,” who might be able to alleviate some of the frustration “for something that represents real creativity in our city, in my view, and it’s your passion and persistence and determination that I suspect we all appreciate.” CM Lawless requested, “When the task force has ended, and it’s all settled, would you please put flowers on my grave, because I will no longer be amongst the living,” by then. Read more…
Lexington Vice Mayor Forms new Food Truck Work Group 2.2.2013
Country Boy Brewery Celebrates First Year 2.06.2013
“We’re in the beer-making business, not the restaurant business. If food trucks park outside of our brewery and offer our customers another food choice, it’s a win-win.” Read more…
Lexington Food Trucks Make it to Ec Dev 2.19.2013
Food Trucks Advance from Worksession to Council Docket 5.21.2013
