Location denied
Food truck approved for one place, not another
Summerside’s planning board issued recommendations regarding two food trucks in the city recently.
One of the applications was recommended for full approval, however, the second was only partially approved. The two proponents were Red Bridge Farm and Landscaping Ltd. and Viva La Crepe.
Under the city’s mobile sales establishment bylaw, anyone looking to operate a foodtruck style restaurant must get a licence annually and is restricted to having only two locations on the document. Red Bridge Farm and Landscaping Ltd. only applied for one location, at 225 Read Drive, the parking lot of Kool Breeze Farms Ice Cream Barn. They intend to run the food truck year round, weather permitting, and will serve Island-style fish and chips, lobster, burgers and fries and more. Its application was recommended for approval.
It was the second application that garnered more discussion from the board and other councillors in attendance. Viva La Crepe, which offers various kinds of crepes and other snack foods, has operated for several years during the tourist season at Spinnakers’ Landing.
That has usually been its only full-time location under the mobile sales bylaw. However, this year the owner applied for a second location, at 58 Water Street, which is a small city-owned parking lot used mostly by people walking along the Baywalk.
The application states that the owner intended to operate from April to June and September to October in the parking lot, and July and August at Spinnakers’ Landing. However, the planning board took issue with the fact that the applicant intended to use a municipally-owned property for one of their locations.
They felt it was unfair to allow one business to use the property without going through a full request for proposals process to see if any others might like to do the same.
“It’s public land, bought by the taxpayers, and if we’re going to open that up (for businesses) we should do it in a request for proposals. Fill it up full, I couldn’t care less about that.
But as long as it’s an open and transparent process,” said Coun. Gordie Whitlock, who is a voting member of the planning board.
In the end, the board voted to only approve the applicant’s Spinnakers Landing location request.