Madison’s Vending Oversight Committee suggested plans for a southeast campus vending area as a way of relieving Broom Street business owners from the issues created by large carts in front of their establishments at a meeting Wednesday.
The placement of large vending carts, traditionally limited to the 700 block of State Street, the Library Mall area, was a concern as some vendors, including JD’s have taken up residence in other areas. Some committee members sought to address issues posed by the vending cart placement.
Street Vending Coordinator Warren Hansen said he had personally not heard any complaints from area vendors or establishments, but committee member Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, said otherwise.
Among complaints he heard from business owners in the Broom Street vending area, Verveer mentioned vendors illegally using dumpsters, blocking driveways and impeding traffic while putting the carts in place.
Verveer proposed bringing local business owners and vendors together to discuss these issues in a committee setting. Hansen and other committee members agreed the idea could be constructive, but the venue in which the committee normally meets would be insufficient for such a gathering.
“We’re going to need a bigger boat,” Hansen said.
There was discussion on the possibility of banning large vending carts, but a final decision on the subject was held off until a future date.
At the last City Council meeting, alders voted to map out vending in the campus area. It became the goal of the Vending Oversight Committee to accurately define this area.
Verveer said he had previously spoken with representatives from the University of Wisconsin and UW Police Department who stated a vending site near the street between the Kohl Center and Southeast Recreational Facility would be acceptable on UW property.
Hansen noted however, based on his own appraisal of the site, it was unfit for the placement of a vending cart.
The committee approved a map of a number of vending sites in the campus area, though some present were troubled by the conspicuous absence of any acceptable sites east of Park Street, a matter the committee agreed to take up in the future.
