Food truck ordinance needs changed if residents want them at parks

If the city follows through with residents’ requests to have more food trucks in Newton parks, it would require council to approve modifications to its ordinances. City staff told park board members on Feb. 16 the current residential zoning classification for all city parks does not allow for food truck operations.

Newton Community Services Director Brian Laube said staff have received a lot of comments from people who want food trucks in city parks in the past year. But Laube wanted to wait until city council finished its discussions around the food truck ordinance before pitching the idea to the park board.

Park board members weighed in on the proposal, which is still very much in the early stages and is not likely to appear before council any time soon. However, knowing the city council may revisit and refine the city’s food truck ordinance, the park board decided to table any recommendations to staff for the time being.

The food truck ordinance passed on Jan. 3 after months of debate. Now, in order for property owners in town to host food trucks, they must first apply for a premise permit with the city. Since the city is not exempt from this rule, staff will have to apply for premise permits in each park that would host a food truck.

The city wants permits in the following parks: Agnes Patterson Park, Aurora Park, Maytag Park, the softball complex, Westwood Golf Course and Woodland Park.

“We would apply for these premise permits (and) pick the location where we think it would best serve that park,” Laube said. “For example, Maytag Park, we envision the summer concert series having a designated premise permit or a spot for one food truck in that parking lot, maybe in the southeast corner.”

Along with allowing food trucks in city parks, staff are playing around with the idea to add an online reservation system to make the process easier for vendors. Laube also said staff thought of only allowing one food truck per park. That way trucks are incentivized to return and don’t have to worry about competing.

“We don’t want it to just have it open to multiple trucks showing up at the summer concert series where one week we might have six trucks show up and nobody makes a profit … and then we won’t have anybody there,” Laube said, again noting the finer details of the proposal still need to be ironed out.

Some park board members felt limiting the number of food trucks at certain parks — particularly larger ones like Maytag Park — was a missed opportunity. Melanie Humphrey, chair of the Newton Park Board, urged city staff to review the possibility of opening those parks up to more than one food truck.

“And I think at Maytag Park we have three shelters,” Humphrey said. “If we have three graduation parties, you’re going to tell two people they can’t have a food truck because they didn’t get their order in before the other two? And I don’t know how often all three are used, but I just really question the whole one at a time.”

Park board member Miranda Caldwell agreed, saying several people have already developed strong followings with the food trucks that have already operated in the community. Legacy Plaza has already seen great success from hosting food trucks and has even featured two trucks at a time.

“If I know that the sushi truck is going to be at Maytag Park on a specific night, I’m going to plan my week around it because I love that truck. And then I’m going to be at Maytag Park and I’ll bring my kids because they’ll have something to do,” Caldwell said, later suggesting food trucks would increase usage at the parks.

Laube said the city recognizes that, too, but staff also do not want to see a food truck free-for-all at Newton’s parks. Which is why he wanted to gauge park board members’ feelings on the matter and seek any recommendations they may have. But any recommendations have since been postponed to next month’s meeting.

“We want to allow it,” Laube said of having food trucks in city parks. “But we want to make sure that because of the rule that’s in place — (and) there’s only so many approved spots — that we just don’t want to get a bunch of trucks rolling in and parking where they want to.”

Contact Christopher Braunschweig at 641-792-3121 ext. 6560 or cbraunschweig@newtondailynews.com