Burgers, hot dogs and burritos – oh my!

Summer eating options may be better known in the coming weeks as city council considers policy and bylaw changes around mobile food vendors.

At Monday evening's council meeting, bylaw services manager Dave Pruden was the first to bring forward changes that would open up two spots for vendors in the city parking lot between Main and Steele Streets.

With about 15 vacant stalls at any given time for the past two years, Pruden is recommending the parking spaces be changed to accommodate two five-metre by 10-metre stalls for vendors facing Third Avenue at a rate of $225 annually.

"This area of Third Avenue has considerable foot traffic and is easily accessible and visible from Main Street,” Pruden noted in his report.

"This area also has excellent direct sunlight in the afternoon, which would contribute to attracting to the food vendor stalls.”

There are no plans, however, to take down the barricade between the parking lot and Third Avenue. That has one food vendor concerned.

Louis-Roch Gagnon owns the Garlic A GoGo food truck. He said he anticipates many customers will climb over the barricade rather than use the Main Street entrance to get to the food vendors.

"They will jump over the barrier,” he predicted.

If there are people who use the Main Street entrance, it could create potentially dangerous situations if there are a number of pedestrians moving through the parking lot to get to and from the vendors, with drivers going in and out as well.

Another seven stalls along Strickland Street would be converted to metered parking.

They would would have a four-hour limit rather than the two-hour limit found elsewhere.

As Pruden pointed out, this would help accommodate those in the downtown area for meetings and such that last longer than a couple of hours.

With each parking meter collecting approximately $8 a day for about 20 days per month, it's expected the meters could bring in $13,440 annually.

Adding the other $450 the vendors would pay the city for their sites, the city could gain $13,890.

In the first year though, the city only stands to make $3,990 from the endeavour as it will have to spend $9,900 on parking meters and their installation.

The food vendor sites in the parking lot would be among a number of sites established each year for lottery under the proposed changes to the lease, encroachment and property use policy.

Vendors would enter the lottery to determine which city sites they would operate from for the season running from May 1 to Oct. 1.

Compadres Burritos and the hot-dog stand operated by Patrick Singh would be the exception to the lottery rule. They would be grandfathered into their locations at Rotary Peace Park (Compadre's) and the corner of Main Street and Third Avenue.

Gagnon argued his truck should also be grandfathered into a second vendor permit for Rotary Peace Park, having proposed the location.

Other changes to the policy would see mobile vendors have to shut down by 11:00 each night.

Gagnon also questioned that proposal, noting that the food vendors would not be set up in areas where noise would be a concern.

He suggested that permitting the food vendors to operate closer to 2 a.m. would give late-night crowds more food options.

City planner Ben Campbell noted in his report to council the 11 p .m. provision is aimed at reducing the risk of vandalism and stolen property. As well, the time corresponds with the noise restrictions in the maintenance bylaw.

The policy would also make it clear that vendors could temporarily operate at special events and festivals, and that they can operate on private land.

Gagnon also pointed to his own experience over the past year getting his food truck started.

Having received an initial permit from the city to operate on the road, he said, the city forced him to find private property instead, arguing under the Motor Vehicles Act, he could not serve food on city streets.

On Monday night, he continued to argue that the Motor Vehicles Act gives control of local streets to the municipality, so it's up to the city to permit food service from his truck.

Gagnon also stated his belief that he is the "squeaky wheel” that caused the city to look at changing its policy.

If council approves the policy change, the city would issue a request for applications to food vendors for this year's sites.

The lottery would then take place to determine which vendors would be located at which sites.

Following the lottery, vendors would submit all required information such as Environmental Health approval when they apply for the development permit to have vendors in place for the season.

"This process will be repeated every spring,” it's noted. "It is suggested that a follow-up meeting with vendors occur later this fall to conduct a peer review and determine whether any improvements are needed to the application and permitting process.”

Council will vote on whether to go ahead with the updated policy next week, as well as whether to move ahead with the parkade bylaw.

Mayor Dan Curtis was absent from Monday's meeting.