Houghton Planning Commission Reviewing Food Truck Ordinance at Tonight’s Meeting

Tonight’s Houghton Planning Commission will consider their recommendation regarding a new food truck ordinance in the city. The ordinance will set up how food trucks and mobile food vendors operate throughout the city, where they can be located and the process for permitting. The ordinance is fairly standard to other ordinances for other cities and their growing relationship with mobile food vendors.

Food truck vendors will have to receive a licensed permit through the city clerk, with exceptions regarding large events such as bridge fest and farmers markets. And the license would be re-applied for annually. Under the proposed ordinance food vendors can operate from 8am to 11pm, in areas zoned B-1, 2, and 3, as well as near Kestner Waterfront Park, East Houghton Waterfront Park, and the Nara Nature Park. They will also be permitted to set up on city owned property with city permission. Other regulations within the ordinance deal with obscene lighting, signage, operation behavior, and inspections with the fire and police departments.

If the planning commission approves the language in the ordinance it will move forward to the council tomorrow night for consideration. Other items on the planning commission agenda include recommended amendments for nuisance grasses and insect ordinances.  Houghton’s planning commission begins tonight at 5:30 pm.