Planning Board recommends food trucks be allowed to operate in two more zoning districts

Ormond Beach Observer
News

Food trucks could soon be allowed in more areas within the city of Ormond Beach as the Planning Board unanimously recommended approval at its meeting on Thursday, May 13, to allow these businesses to operate in commercial and industrial zoning districts.

The amendment to the city's land development code was a result of the passing of House Bill 1193, which preempts the regulation of licenses, registrations, permits, fees and inspections, according to a city staff report. Additionally, local governments can no longer prohibit food trucks as a whole.

"You have to allow it somewhere in your city," Planning Director Steven Spraker said.

Food trucks are currently only allowed during community-wide special events, with a permit, and at local breweries. If given final approval by the City Commission, the land development code will be amended to allow food trucks: on city property in association with a city-sponsored event, a special event at a church or other house of worship (with a permit), within the interlocal service boundary agreement area with itinerant vending, and within the B-8 Commercial and I-1 Light Industrial zoning districts.

Also at the meeting:

Planning Board reccomended approval for:

A preliminary plat for Plantation Oaks consisting of 121 single-family lots in phase 1A of the subdivision.
A land development code amendment requiring water and sewer lines be extended across the site frontage for new development.
A land development code amendment to update the downtown overlay district
A land development code amendment that updates current regulations for floodplain management.
A land development code amendment that modifies requirements for motor vehicle service station canopies
A land development code amendment that requires sidewalks on boths sides of the street in new subdivisions, and, allows payment in lieu of constructing a sidewalk when its construction may not be "practical or desired."
A land development code that allows nonprofit-related car and motorcycle washes with city approval and during special events.

What the Planning Board recommended the commission deny:

A land development code amendment that would allow an off-road recreational vehicle course as a special exception in the rural estate/agriculture zoning district.

The City Commission and Planning Board tabled its joint discussion to allow food trucks to operate more widely in the city during a workshop in 2019, as members could not reach a consensus on the topic and had concerns about food trucks impacting brick-and-mortar restaurants.

Planning Board member GG Galloway said he had been uneasy about giving breweries the green light to host food trucks in 2018, believing they were being too selective in granting allowances.

“I think when you start getting that finite...you’re being very fair to some people, and closing the door to a lot of of other people," Galloway said.

Spraker said that hopefully, this amendment would fix that issue. If the board or the commission expressed interest to expand the areas in which food trucks are allowed to operate in the future, later amendments could be discussed.

“But you have to start somewhere," he said.

As for the impact on brick-and-mortar restaurants, Dorian Burt, a representative of developer Bill Jones, said the downtown restaurants were all okay with the proposed amendments.

“As long as it’s crystal clear that not in the downtown on any private property, only city property for city or nonprofit events, the restaurants are all fine," Burt said.