Council to talk about food trucks

A controversy is brewing in Amherst between mainstay mom and pop restaurants and a new option parked downtown — food trucks.

An Amherst City Council committee will meet at 6:30 p.m., July 24, at city hall to consider legislation to regulate mobile food carts and food trucks.

Council President John Dietrich said several restaurant owners downtown approached council last week about a food truck that parks on Thursday nights near The Pour House on Park Avenue.

“They complained about taking the business away from restaurants,” Dietrich said. “So the law director drafted an ordinance to regulate food trucks.

“My whole feeling is our existing owners have put a lot of money into our downtown,” he said. “To have a food truck come in, park and take business away without paying any taxes or anything, we have no ordinance about them.”

Amherst Mayor Mark Costilow said he’s not opposed to food carts.

“It’s a neat thing,” Costilow said. “But it just needs regulated. They come in, they don’t pay real estate taxes. They park where they want. There are generators they use that cause noise and pollution. They could be an asset. I don’t know yet.

“There may be a moratorium until there is some legislation,” he said, adding some cities ban them, others regulate them.

“Safety is our biggest concern at this point,” Costilow added. “I think downtown businesses have concern how it’s going to affect downtown business. I think we need to listen to our downtown merchants.”

One business owner said he invested $800,000 in his facilities, Dietrich said, and a couple who owns a pizza restaurant invested their life savings in it.

“These people have put their lives into their restaurants,” he said. “A food truck comes in, parks, sells food, takes business away from them, and drives away.”