Town of Cochrane Administration will be spending time gathering data from local residents and businesses on the food truck pilot program.
Cochrane has two approved food trucks, Grilled and Awko Taco, that are seen daily at various spots around town.
Although the pilot originally kicked off in September of 2015, it really only got going this spring.
The pilot project originally stated that the food trucks were restricted to parking in certain locations banning all street parking. Some sites that were allowed were Cochrane RancheHouse, Riverfront Park, Big Hill Leisure Pool and in the industrial part of town.
Darcy Scott, owner of Grilled, says he received an email from Town of Cochrane Planning Department on May 2, that would allow restricted street parking as part of the pilot until December.
The email Scott received has the following restrictions:
- 25m from existing restaurant
- 10m from stop line/crosswalk of any intersection
- 100m from any school site
- 150m from any special event that you are not operating/ participating in
Scott says as far as he knows he has abided to the rules and has not heard any feedback to suggest otherwise.
Town of Cochrane Mayor Ivan Brooker says, he no longer wants to wait until December. The Mayor says he has been bombarded by complaints from local restaurant owners about the food trucks.
"Over the last quite a few months, I have been getting a lot of comments, largely the restaurant owners and as well the landlords from a lot of the restaurant businesses, and I have to be honest a lot of the comments have been negative."
Brooker says with the influx of negative responses he has advised Administration to gather data now.
"I have probably heard from 8 restaurant owners now and landlords and such, it's enough in my mind that I would want to make this determination sooner rather than later. I have just asked staff to gather all the information we have received to date both positive and negative and then come September we will share all that information for Council and then Council will be making the decision."
Brooker adds that he himself enjoys food trucks but the Town needs to look at the balance.
"I want people to understand, I'm not against food trucks, but we have to listen to both sides. We have the restaurant owners on one side and their comments would be we pay big square footage rents in the Town of Cochrane. They likely pay anywhere from $20-$40 a square foot and then they pay taxes on top of that as opposed to a business license for a food truck you can go wherever you want."
A Notice of Motion will be coming forward to direct Town Administration to immediately begin gathering data, and at this point Brooker is not sure which way the decision will go.
"The question is do we allow food trucks necessarily in the downtown core or right adjacent to restaurants or within a certain distance that will be the question council needs to figure out. Do we continue that (pilot project), do we make modifications or changes to the program or maybe nothing changes? To be determined."
Mayor Brooker anticipates a final decision will be made in September when Council will decide the fate of the food truck program.
"My intent is to bring it to council for September 12, I am sure council will likely be able to gather all the input and make the decision that night I can't see it going beyond that; so I would expect there would be new rules or not depending on what the out come is, but we refine the rules that day for operating food trucks."
If you would like to voice your opinion on food trucks you can email Councillors and the Mayor.
MaryLou.Davis-Eckmeier@cochrane.ca
Sat, Apr 27, 10:00 AM
Communications/Media, Professionals, Skilled Trades, Full-time, Hourly, Seasonal