Food trucks and other mobile vendors are making their bids for spots on public land in Gibsons and Sechelt this season.
The operators of the 2 Crows Perogies and More truck were before Gibsons council March 20, to ask the Town to consider allowing vendors to operate at the Gibsons Curling Club parking lot and Winegarden Park.
The last time a food truck was allowed to use the park was in 2011, under a temporary use permit.
Chief administrative officer Emanuel Machado said the Town’s bylaws allow mobile vendors to set up on private land, so long as it’s zoned for commercial activity. He said a motion of council would be needed to allow them on Town-owned land.
“There’s two things that need to happen,” he said. “The Town needs to identify those sites in the first place, and then we need to run a public process so other businesses are able participate. Right now we don’t have sites identified for a public process to have a mobile vendor on, or direction from council to run an advertisement of spaces.”
Acting mayor Silas White said council is willing to consider a motion, but couldn’t do it at the March 21 meeting.
Sechelt, meanwhile, is in the process of finalizing its mobile vendor licencees for the coming season after putting out a call for proposals earlier this year.
A report presented at the March 14 meeting of the finance, culture and economic development committee said four vendors responded to the call.
All the businesses are locally owned. Three offer food, and one offers paddleboard and kayak rentals.
The report said the paddleboard and kayak business would fit well at one of two sites in Davis Bay.
There is also a mobile vending pad at Kinnikinnick Park.
A fourth potential location, Friendship Park near the Trail Bay Pier, is still to be finalized. The district has been looking for public feedback, and a report is expected at the April 11 finance committee meeting.
The committee voted to support a staff recommendation to allow the vendors to rotate between sites, after staff said all three food vendors have indicated they’re willing to work together to come up with a rotation that works best.
“I actually think this is a great idea for the future. When you think of the food truck industry as a small mobile vending industry … there is a lot of movement and rotation,” said Mayor Bruce Milne. “We’re not very many years away from having more vendors in a more participatory and more pedestrian-friendly world. I think it’s a good start.”
Coun. Noel Muller said he thought a rotation was “a great solution” and the vendors are showing “good community spirit” through their willingness to work together.
One concern raised by the committee was whether there was much potential business to be had at Kinnikinnick, but staff pointed out that the sports fields tend to be very busy during the May to August season, especially at meal times. They also said the vendors who responded to the call for proposals were all interested in the site.
Milne suggested the district could support the vendors by publicizing which vendor will be at which location on which days.
