Regulations eyed for food truck courts

Standards call for permits to operate, on-site managers

SPRINGDALE — The Springdale Planning Commission on Wednesday introduced standards for food truck courts to operate in the city.

“We’re creating a new use unit for two or more food trucks placed on a tract or platted lot,” said Patsy Christie, director of the city’s Planning Department. It’s a conditional use of the city’s commercial zones in neighborhoodand campus-type locations, she noted.

The city will require the operator of each food truck to apply for a permit to operate. The trucks also must meet the city’s commercial requirements for parking, entrances and exits, utility and emergency service.

Keep in mind, Christie said, the food truck owners also must abide by state and federal regulations regarding food service.

A food truck court in Springdale would be under the direction of an on-site manager, Christie said. That manager would be responsible for deciding and contracting which trucks serve from the court. That person also would ensure the court and its trucks meet the city’s requirements for appearance.

“He will be responsible for making sure the trash is picked up, among other things,” Christie said. “We want the sites to look good and stay clean.”

“The beginning of the modern food truck movement is often credited back to 2008” and the great recesssion, reads an article on the website Food Truck Empire, which said it is dedicated to helping people start their own food truck businesses.

For many cooks and chefs, the idea of opening a restaurant looms as an unattainable goal, especially during hard economic times, the article continues. Some of those entrepreneurs also found food trucks a great way to introduce and showcase new styles of food and dishes that weren’t so traditional.

Locally, diners see food trucks as a “homemade” local business that can compete with fast-food chains, according to Alan Ellstrand, associate dean of the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas, in a 2018 article by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

In Arkansas, food trucks have followed the national trend, but the population has certainly not peaked, said Mervin Jebaraj, director of the Center for Business and Economic Research at the

“We want the sites to look good and stay clean.”

— Patsy Christie, director of Springdale’s Planning Department

Walton College of Business, in the same article.

“It’s a great way to test a food concept,” Jebaraj said.

Last year, one man came before the Planning Commission wanting to start a food truck court on Park Street, Christie noted. She added that she has been contacted by two other people interested in operating food truck courts in Springdale, but who wanted to keep the details of their business plans quiet.

Food trucks in Springdale must secure water service and provide a disposal plan for food and water used by the truck, the regulations read.

And complete access from each side of the food truck court will allow emergency vehicles to reach different areas of the court. “The fire department might also make some more recommendations before the final approval of the standards,” Christie said.

Wednesday’s meeting provided one of the first opportunities for residents, business owners and possible food truck court developers to voice their opinions and concerns about the regulations. No one addressed the Planning Commission members during the meeting.

Kevin Parsley, chairman of the Planning Commission, said the commission members would vote on approval of the food truck regulations during their next meeting on Feb. 5.

He also noted that the regulations for approval are listed on the city’s website.

A specific regulation will require every food truck court to provide permanent restrooms on site. Christie noted that some business owners have opposed food courts because they fear food truck customers might monopolize the restrooms of their businesses, which sit near food courts.

Parsley noted, however, that some neighboring businesses might be willing to open their bathrooms to customers at nearby food courts. Christie said guidelines for that idea can be discussed before the regulations become official.

The regulations continue to list guidelines for parking areas, signs, noise levels, operating hours and more.

“This is the basic stuff, the foundations,” Christie said.

Christie said she looked to cities across the country for their requirements for food truck courts. She said she especially liked one she visited in Buffalo, N.Y.

The organizers set up tarps along the sides of the court to block the wind in cold weather and even had an area for local bands to play, she said.

Some food trucks in other areas also allow sales of crafts or clothes, Christie said. But Springdale will not put such a provision in place at this time, Christie said.

Kevin Parsley, chairman of the Planning Commission, said the commission would vote on approval of the food truck regulations on Feb. 5.