AURORA | Here comes the newest generation of meals on wheels. Aurora residents could see more food trucks thanks to a pilot program that would make it easier for them to operate in some parts of the city.
The only qualm Aurora City Council members had with a pilot program that will change outdated city codes concerning the mobile vendors is why it hasn’t been done sooner.
“Does it need to have an ordinance, or can we just approve it tonight?” asked Councilman Bob Broom.
The program, which received unanimous initial approval from council at a study session Monday, will allow food trucks to operate while legally parked within the city’s rights-of-way as well as on private property with permission of the property owner.
The city currently permits 33 mobile vendors at fixed locations on private property that have to be at least 1,500 feet apart. Gary Sandel, project manager for Aurora’s Office of Development Assistance, said the mobile vendors aren’t even allowed to serve ice cream, under the current ordinance.
“We want to provide easy operating instructions, and eliminate those prohibitions on desserts,” he said.
The program would also make the city’s regulations for food trucks easier to follow by requiring less paperwork for vendors and city staff as well as eliminating a requirement for food trucks to obtain a special use permit and yearly fees that total $111.
Mobile food vending generates approximately $650 million nationwide annually, according to a 2012 report by financial services firm Intuit. Sandel said the program was designed to promote food truck culture especially in Original Aurora. He added that the city hopes the program will increase food choices for residents and employees as well as bring more pedestrian traffic to business and industrial centers.
Councilmember Brad Pierce asked whether food trucks would be allowed on city property such as parks and pools.
“When it comes to operating in public parks and on public property, we would be evaluating that on a case by case basis,” Sandel said. Under the new program, a food truck could receive a special temporary permit if it is approved by the city manager.
Under the measure, mobile food trucks would be allowed to operate between 7 am and 9 pm with the requirement that they are at least 100 feet away from a restaurant while it is open for business. The measure also requires the vendors to be located at least 100 feet from residential zones.
If approved, the pilot program would run for one year through September 2015, and could begin as early as July of this summer, Sandel said.
City staff have looked at Buckley Air Force Base, Kaiser Water Center, and The Community College of Aurora as potential sites for program.