Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutFCS-15-003 - Food Trucks Staff Report rTC.�r R finance and Corporate Services Department www.kitchener.ca REPORT TO: Finance and Corporate Services Committee DATE OF MEETING: January 19, 2015 SUBMITTED BY: Christine Tarling, Director of Legislated Services & City Clerk, 519-741-2200, ext.7809 PREPARED BY: Patricia Harris, Manager of Licensing, 519-741-2200, ext. 7854 WARD(S) INVOLVED: All DATE OF REPORT: January 6, 2015 REPORT NO.: FCS-15-003 SUBJECT: FOOD TRUCKS RECOMMENDATION: That By-law 2014-056 be amended as outlined in Section 3 of Finance and Corporate Services Report FCS-15-003 to incorporate the results of stakeholder feedback into a revision of the Food Truck By-law; and further, That the following additional opportunities be explored, with potential By-law revision to be brought forward at a future date should a community consensus be achieved: • Surface parking lots and/or on-street bays in the downtown core — through discussions between Food Truck operators, the DKBIA and Transportation Planning staff; • Use of an on-street parking bay on the north side of Breithaupt Street, just east of Moore Avenue — through City-led consultation with commercial and residential property owners in the vicinity of Breithaupt Street. BACKGROUND: On May 12, 2014 Council passed By-law 2014-056 (By-Law), which regulated food trucks in the City of Kitchener, after consultation with the Food Truck operators as well as the Downtown Kitchener Business Improvement Association (DKBIA). At the time Council requested staff review the By-law early in 2015 and recommend changes to the By-law if necessary. The current By-law permits food trucks to be located: • In the following City parks between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m. • Victoria Park • Huron Natural Area • Budd Park • Southwest Optimist Park • McLennan Park; 5 - 1 • On private property with the property owners permission and provided they are at least twenty (20) metres from any existing place of refreshment; • On Otto Street by Centre in the Square on a daily basis; • As part of a one-time only promotional event between restaurants and food trucks provided written consent has been given by all neighbouring restaurants; • During the Monday lunch hour program on Civic Square; and • Special Events sponsored by the City and/or private organizations. It was also agreed that City staff and the BIA would work together to hold an event on Thursday evenings between 4:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. where food trucks and downtown businesses would work together to promote food trucks in the downtown core. This event did not take place in 2014 due to transitions in the DKBIA office and time constraints. The purpose of this report is to provide Council with a follow-up assessment of the 2014 experience and to summarize the stakeholder consultation completed to-date and possible amendments to the By-law that Council may wish to consider in response to the different stakeholder perspectives regarding food trucks. REPORT: Section 1: Stakeholder Consultation When the food truck program was implemented in the spring of 2014 Council requested the matter be reviewed and brought back to Council in early January of 2015. In order to obtain a comprehensive view from all stakeholders, the following consultation was undertaken: • a questionnaire was distributed to licensed Food Truck operators by the City through e- mail; • the DKBIA sent a survey out to all members of the BIA with specific questions related to food trucks in the downtown; • the Belmont Village BIA was contacted for their input; • social media postings were utilized to gauge public sentiments concerning food trucks in Kitchener and Downtown Kitchener; and • staff at the City of Waterloo and Cambridge were contacted for updates on their own programs. Council feedback was sought prior to completing the consultation to ensure that it was comprehensive and that relevant stakeholder groups were engaged. Staff expanded the original approach to respond to Councillor suggestions. Food Truck Operators An e-mail questionnaire was sent out to the licensed Food Truck operators. It asked for information regarding where they operated over the summer and what changes they would want to see to the By-law. There were 15 licensed food trucks that were permitted to operate in Kitchener 2014; 11 responded to the survey. Below is a table providing information as to where food trucks operated in Kitchener in 2014. 5 - 2 What parks did Did you operate How often did Are you How many you operate in on private you operate in interested in special events and how often? property and Civic District Thursday night did you how often? during lunch KBIA events? participate in hours? during 2014 1 food truck 5 trucks 5 trucks 1 food truck All licensed food operated in operated a total operated a total indicated no trucks Victoria Park and of 11 times over of 15 times over interest unless participated in McLennan Park the licensing the licensing allowed to Special Events on a regular period period operate in the with a basis downtown on a participation rate daily basis ranging from 4 to No food trucks 15 events operated in any The remainder other parks indicated no interest The Food Truck operators also provided suggestions for changes to our current By-law as outlined in the following table. Staff has provided a response and proposes to take action on several of the suggestions made by operators. Some changes can be implemented immediately while others would follow consultation with either the DKBIA or local businesses and residents in affected areas. Food Truck Operators' Staff Response Proposed Action Suggestions Change twenty (20) metre Given the generally positive To change Section 20 of the setback from restaurants to response to food trucks, staff By-law to indicate a distance ten (10) metres door-to-door. agrees that reducing the separation of ten (10) metres distance separation is from property line to property reasonable. Measuring door- line, instead of the present to-door is not feasible as it twenty (20) metre separation. could not be done from maps and would require extensive field measurements. As per the survey there is Continue to operate a lunch Change Section 18(a) to interest in continuing to hour event. permit "lunch hours at Carl operate a lunch hour event Zehr Square as programmed but no interest from Food Staff suggests that Thursday by The City of Kitchener". Truck operators to participate evening event no longer be in a Thursday DKBIA event. considered. Delete Section 18(b) to remove the Thursday evening provision. Operate in more parks. Food trucks operated To consult with Manager of minimally in major parks Parks Planning to determine if already approved in 2014. any other park could accommodate food trucks and make adjustments in a future version of the By-law if warranted. 5 - 3 Correct the By-law loophole The agreement concerning To work with Food Truck regarding approved Civic Centre in the Square pertains operators to enhance their District Vending on Otto to parking/operating on their understanding of the current Street. There was a private property only. The City allows By-law provisions. agreement that would see licensed food trucks to vendors donating 10% of its operate on Otto Street, which revenue towards Centre in the is a City street within the Square. permitted hours without making a donation to Centre in the Square. Engage food trucks in Economic Development Economic Development will meaningful discussion when recognizes the food truck invite the food truck industry new sites are being developed industry's contribution to the to actively participate in the in Kitchener. Recognize Food vitality of the city and agrees development of future Truck operators as key their input is relevant to strategies, such as the next partners when developing economic development Kitchener Economic revitalization strategies and decisions. Development Strategy. encourage the inclusion of food trucks in future development plans. City should always invite food The City only has control over Staff will continue their trucks licensed to operate in City-run special events. City- practice of inviting locally- Kitchener before Out of Town run food truck festivals are licensed operators first to City- vendor for Special Events. open to any vendor who run food truck events. wishes to participate. For City-run events that only require a handful of trucks, staff generally invites locally- licensed operators first. Opportunities to operate in Parking Enterprise staff is That Parking Enterprise staff municipal parking lots. willing to discuss allowing meet with Food Truck food trucks in specific operators to identify possible locations within certain locations and determine municipal parking lots. appropriate operating However, as many surface requirements to avoid any lots are fully occupied during impacts on day-to-day the day, staff has concerns operations. over the potential impact on day-to-day operations and Should Food Truck operators related safety, maintenance or wish to pursue workable customer service challenges parking lot locations within the that may arise. DKBIA boundary, staff will facilitate discussions accordingly between the DKBIA and the Food Truck operators. This could result in adjustments to a future version of the By-law. 5 - 4 Operate on Breithaupt Street. Transportation Planning staff Subject to further consultation believe this can be with affected property owners, accommodated. However, staff will consider permitting there has been no one (1) food truck in on-street consultation yet with adjacent parking bays on the north side property owners (commercial of Breithaupt Street, just east and residential). of Moore Avenue. This could result in adjustments to a future version of the By-law. Operate in business parks. Currently all business parks No change to the By-law. are open to food trucks providing they meet zoning requirements and have permission from the property owner. Licensing fee be reduced from Kitchener's licence fees are To maintain the approved $350.00 to $315.00 the same based on cost recovery to license fee of$360. as Waterloo. help offset the costs of inspections (Fire, Zoning, Enforcement) and administration. While the recently approved license fee of $360.00 does not cover the City's costs, it is competitive with other area municipalities. (See attached Schedule A). Provide for daily licensing fee. Since fees relate to No change to the By-law. administration and Retain yearly licensing fees enforcement, there would not the same as for all businesses be much difference between a operating in Kitchener. yearly fee and a daily one. The yearly fee allows any licensed food truck to set up in any location that is permitted without obtaining a licence each time — this is seen as more customer-service oriented. Downtown Kitchener Business Improvement Association The DKBIA sent a survey to all downtown businesses asking the questions below as well as asking for comments regarding food trucks. Eighty-seven (87) replies were received and the table below provides their findings. 5 - 5 How do you feel Is there a better Food Trucks Food trucks I would be about food downtown could enhance would have a interested in trucks on King location for the Downtown negative impact participating if a St. on a regular food trucks Kitchener on my business Thursday night basis other than King experience food truck St. event took place during the summer 65% favourable 61% - No 80% - Yes 76% - No at all 43% - Yes 20% only for 39% - Yes 20% - No 16% - Somewhat 29% - No special events 9% -A great Not Sure —28% 15% not in deal favour While generally the comments received were favourable toward food trucks, it is still evident that there is a polarization of opinions among downtown businesses. While survey respondents were not asked by the DKBIA to identify themselves as a restaurant, retail, service or office operator, staff infer from viewing written comments shared by the DKBIA that many of the respondents not in favour of increased food truck activity are restaurant operators. If there is an interest among Food Truck operators to have greater opportunities to operate within the BIA boundaries, staff encourages the Food Truck operators and BIA to engage in meaningful discussion to seek additional opportunities. Staff are willing to play an active role in facilitating these discussions over the winter months should this be pursued by either the Food Truck operators or the DKBIA. Belmont Village Business Improvement Association The Belmont Village BIA indicated that food trucks would be best for only specific events in the village. It was felt food trucks could be an enhancement for special events if the food trucks did not duplicate the "foods" which are already in the village. They also felt food trucks would probably have a negative impact on the restaurants in the Belmont Village. The Belmont Village BIA advised they would not want to interfere with the "trade" of their members and the unique village atmosphere they enjoy there. As with the DKBIA, staff encourages the Belmont Village BIA to work with City staff and the Food Truck operators to incorporate food trucks into special events in that area. Public Input via Social Media Finally, the general public was consulted through social media using Facebook and Twitter asking "Do you support food trucks in Kitchener and Downtown Kitchener?" Approximately thirty (30) separate comments were received. The general theme was that the public would like to see more food trucks in the City. Constructive feedback has indicated that food trucks must be carefully placed and that the City move forward cautiously. Other Municipalities The City of Waterloo and the City of Cambridge were contacted regarding any changes that they may be making to their By-laws. Staff at City of Waterloo will be meeting with the Food Truck operators early in 2015 to review and discuss their program particularly with respect to issues surrounding on-street parking and use of municipal parking lots. Kitchener staff will monitor that discussion. The City of Cambridge is not planning any changes in 2015. Their food truck program is a two year pilot project and will be reviewed in 2016. 5 - 6 Section 2: City- operated Food Truck Events In 2014, week day food truck programming moved from Thursdays to Mondays. This resulted in a significant drop in pedestrian traffic in Civic Square for the food truck program. While staff did not do pedestrian counts, it is estimated that attendance was 25%-50% of what was normally experienced on Thursdays. Based on commentary from both restaurant owners and Food Truck operators, Mondays tend to be much slower universally for food sales. Based on the limited foot traffic a number of Food Truck operators suggested they would be unlikely to participate on Mondays in 2015. In 2011 and 2012, the City hosted "Taco Tuesdays" pairing a local Mexican food truck with Latin musicians. These events had much better attendance than what was observed on the Mondays in 2014. As such, staff is considering moving the food truck programming to Tuesdays. In 2014, the City hosted two food truck festivals — King Streatery on July 5th and The Outlaw Food Truck Rally on July 27th. Both events staged 15+ food trucks over five blocks of King Street. Staff estimates that King Streatery attracted 10,000+ attendees, while the July 27th event attracted roughly 4,000. The lower attendance for the latter was likely due to a number of factors: • A non-profit organization had hosted a food truck event in Waterloo on July 26; • This was the same weekend as Hillside Festival in Guelph, which attracts many local residents; • The low fee charged to the participating Food Truck operators did not allow for any marketing efforts (the entrance fee was $100.00 for the festival which did not allow for a comprehensive marketing campaign whereas the July 5th event garnered significant marking exposure as part of The Days of#KWAwesome); and • By the end of July, the region had already played host to numerous food truck festivals. For 2015, in consultation with the Food Truck operators, staff hopes to repeat the King Streatery event on July 4th but will look to move the July 27th event into May or June. Section 3: Recommended Changes to the By-law Section 18 (a) — Change the provision to "lunch hours at Carl Zehr Square as programmed by The City of Kitchener" to provide greater flexibility to program lunch hour events on any day of the week instead of just Monday. Section 18 (b) — Delete in order to eliminate the reference to Thursday evening events. Section 20 — Change distance separation to ten (10) metres property line to property line from the present twenty (20) metres. ALIGNMENT WITH CITY OF KITCHENER STRATEGIC PLAN Quality of Life—A focus on vitality, public health and safety and community vitality Organizational governance — Business practices and compliance FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS: Not Applicable 5 - 7 COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT: INFORM — This report has been posted to the City's website with the agenda in advance of the council / committee meeting. All licensed Food Truck operators received a copy of the report as well as the BIA. CONSULT — Food Truck operators, businesses in the downtown and the Belmont area, and the general public were consulted through surveys, direct outreach and social media. ACKNOWLEDGED BY: Dan Chapman, Deputy CAO 5 - 8 SHEDULE A FOOD TRUCK LICENSING FEES VARIOUS MUNICIPALITIES Municipality Licensing Fee Kitchener $360.00 Waterloo $313,00 Cambridge $279.00 Mississauga $251.00 (Operator) $152.00 (Driver) Guelph $324.00 Hamilton $311.00 Toronto $5,066.69 5 - 9