September 10 Meeting

  On the Council Meeting of September 10, 2012 the councilmembers discussed and issue that wouldn’t seem to be the typical topic of a council agenda: mobile food services, or food trucks. The City Council was proposing a law to make it illegal for food trucks to park in public parking spaces. It was fascinating to see how many economic and civic arguments came into play- all while discussing food! Many councilmembers argued that not only was two entire parking spaces a lot (especially for crowded areas) but also a potential safety hazard. Since food trucks are so big, they might obstruct a person’s view of the road or sidewalk. Some other councilmembers argued that these food trucks were taking away business from other private enterprises in the area (and using a public parking spot to do so). Councilman Presley contended that these food trucks should look for private land to place their trucks, since they are a company, and other companies must do so. On the other side, two owners of the Little India food truck at Fiddler’s Green, came to argue their point of view. They stated that this law would all but destroy their company because there are no other places for food trucks to park. Private land and companies often do not have the right amount of space on the road for food trucks to park. They also stated that since they had been in operationg (about three months), there had been no safety violations. This was an incredibly fascinating debate to watch- with both sides bringing up valid points about how this company would benefit the city of Greenwood Village. After watching both sides debate for about an hour, I believe that since the food truck is paying a sales tax and contributing to the local economy, they should be allowed to park publicly. Why discourage businesses who want to do business in Greenwood Village?