AURORA | City officials are preparing to make food trucks a legally permanent fixture in Aurora one year after city council approved a pilot program for mobile eateries to roam city streets.
The city’s planning and economic development committee on June 8 approved a proposal to nix the temporary status attached to a program that established rules and regulations for Aurora food trucks.
The program began last summer when council voted to change antiquated city codes related to temporary and mobile vending. As of now, the pilot program is set to expire in early September.
Vinessa Irvin, manager of the city’s Office of Development Assistance, reported to the PED committee that city staff received only eight food truck-related complaints over the past year. She said that most of the limited quibbles haven’t been about the trucks themselves, but rather about how to read the city’s website and the maps that show where trucks can legally sell food within the city.
“It has gone very smoothly,” she told the committee, which is chaired by Councilman Brad Pierce. “We have been documenting comments and inquiries (and) the feedback has been extremely positive. People have been very willing to follow the rules once they’re told what they are.”
As of May, 109 mobile eateries had registered city of Aurora business licenses to sell food within city limits, according to city spokeswoman Julie Patterson.
Some restaurateurs along East Colfax Avenue complained that the trucks created an unfair influx of competition when they first started operating last year, according to Aurora city councilwoman Sally Mounier, who sits on the PED committee and whose ward encompasses much of north Aurora. Irvin said that the Office of Development Assistance sent out a survey to 13 entities involved with the pilot program, and that the majority of the only six respondents reported that the current regulations were adequate. She added that there are tentative plans to send out another survey to a wider audience next spring or summer.
Irvin said that the only addition to the existing rules will be to allow the trucks to operate on public school property for special events. Under current rules, the trucks are barred from selling on most school grounds because many of the city’s public schools are located within residential zones. Trucks cannot sell food within 50 feet of a residential zone or within 175 feet of a brick-and-mortar restaurant.
Apart from specific distance restrictions, mobile food merchants are currently allowed in limited sections of the city — the majority of which are located in the northern peripheries along East Colfax — and can only operate between the hours of 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. All operators must obtain a city business license, be authorized by the Tri-County Health Department and, in most cases, use a central commissary kitchen. Some items, such as teas, candies and certain baked goods, can be prepared at a private residence under the Colorado Cottage Food Act.
The city may also eventually explore ways to help budding mobile chefs jump into the industry by helping them fix up the exterior facades of their trucks. Though not a member of the PED committee, Councilwoman Molly Markert said that she had a resident ask her to look into grants the city could offer to improve the look of their culinary vehicles.
“It’s very expensive, apparently, to paint, wrap and ‘cutesify’ (sic) a truck,” Markert said. “Maybe we could help identify … art resources, Chamber of Commerce or commercial resources … to help sweeten things up a bit.”
Andrea Amonick, manager of the city’s development services department, said that she would look into financing options, though the possibility of using Community Development Block Grant funds is not likely.
Mobile food vending generates about $650 million annually, according to a 2012 report by financial services firm Intuit.
The proposed food truck ordinance will next head to a city council study session.
— Staff Writer Rachel Sapin contributed to this report.