Bringing a compromise to an ongoing conflict between local restaurant owners and food cart vendors, a city committee last week unanimously approved a proposal to restrict parking spaces for late night street vendors on a downtown street.
The Vending Oversight Committee voted Wednesday to eliminate several parking spaces in front of the restaurants Asian Kitchen and Pita Pit on the 400 block of Broom Street, according to Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4.
Verveer, a member of oversight committee, proposed a plan that would allow both regular-standing businesses and food carts to benefit from the late night food crowd.
“My proposal keeps it very simple,” Verveer said. “It simply designates the parking stalls that are allowed at any time for vending.”
The approved proposal comes as the result of several meetings of the committee that addressed the local restaurant owners’ complaints that late night food carts parked on Broom Street were taking away business, Verveer said. The proposal was a compromise of all parties involved, he said.
While the proposal would limit several parking spaces, Verveer explained the vendors will still be allowed to park on the east side of the street, across from Asian Kitchen and Pita Pit, as well as in the loading zone of Riley’s Wines of the World. About 10 parking spaces will continue to be available on a first-come, first-serve basis, he said.
“Overall, late-night vending will be able to continue without any difficulty in late night operation,” Verveer said.
The proposed amendment received support from the owners of Asian Kitchen and Pita Pit, food cart vendors and city officials, Verveer said.
The owners of three late-night food carts, In N Out Empanadas, JD’s and Fried and Fabulous, also testified in favor of the compromise at the meeting, Verveer said.
Fried and Fabulous owner Steve Lawrence was initially concerned the previous proposals to restrict vending on the street would put him out of business. However, he said he feels the compromise will be beneficial to both the restaurants and food carts vendors.
“I am very pleased with this balanced approach,” Lawrence said. “[The compromise] responds to concerns raised by the restaurants while allowing the food carts to stay in business.”
Pita Pit owner Courtney Palm and her landlord also voiced their support for the proposal at the meeting.
The only party not as supportive of the approved amendment was the owner of Silvermine Subs, Verveer said said.
Verveer said the owner felt the proposal did not do much to help his particular concerns. While the proposal limits vending in front of other local businesses, it does little to restrict vending near Silvermine Subs, he said.
Although the proposal is not yet final, Verveer said in the meantime several of the late night vendors are making an effort to reduce tensions between the businesses in the area. The vendors voluntarily agreed to no longer park in front of open restaurants, he said.
The committee approved the initial proposal, but it has not been finalized because city officials do not yet have an official map of where vending will be allowed and not allowed on the street, Verveer said.
The proposal will see a final vote at the next meeting of the Vending Oversight Committee in late April. It will then face the City Council before officially being put into place.
