ProgressLex

It’s been a while since I wrote about the food truck issue for Lexington last fall, but there’s been a lot underway as of late so it’s high time for an update.

As reported last, the Itinerant Merchant Task Force, headed up by Councilwoman Peggy Henson from the 11th District, was formed almost a year ago and has continued to meet on a regular basis.  After attending a number of these meetings, which are all made publically available here, it seemed like things were creeping along. The Task Force was mostly formed as a way to regulate Lexington’s few existing food trucks, particularly those along Versailles Road, out of concerns expressed from some of the residents from Holiday Hills and Viley Heights and later, Hamilton Park. Therefore, much of the energy of the task force has been in altering the existing ordinances to create a new category of stationary merchant (food trucks on public land) and to write in ways of defining their operations along with those of itinerant merchants, particularly regarding hours of operations and location restrictions based on proximity to residential neighborhoods.

The challenge, however, is that simultaneously, while they’re rewriting the ordinance, they’ve also tried to find ways to allow for these vendors to operate legally, particularly in the downtown core. For this task, a subcommittee was formed, which has been working to develop a pilot project for the downtown core.

To say that this issue has been contentious is an understatement.

Many people have different concerns, and each constituent has a different set of needs. This has been further compounded by the challenge of getting all key “stakeholders” at the table. Because the task force was initially set up to resolve the concerns from neighborhoods, it was actually established with NO ONE from the food business!

Over time, as word has both gotten out and as the task force has taken on more and more, folks from the Health Department have been added, in addition to food vendors themselves. Currently the invitation is also open to try and add a bricks and mortar restaurant owner.

But the progress is painfully slow.

In many ways, the advancement was stymied by a recent article in the Herald-Leader.

In fact, the meeting of the Task Force held immediately after this article was published brought out a throng of bricks and mortar restaurant owners to raise objections and concerns over what they perceived as a pending flood of new food truck vendors to downtown Lexington.  Some of their concerns included a lack of downtown foot traffic to support such vendors and a fear of added competition. It should be noted that most of the downtown restaurants are locally owned and operated by individuals who have made a commitment (and financial investment) in Lexington’s downtown.

This opposition was further expanded when the Cheapside Entertainment District Association (CEDA) got word of the proposed Pilot Project of the subcommittee, issuing a letter requesting substantial changes, including language to allow for a 200ft buffer for any bricks and mortar location, and a limitation of only 2 legal spots for stationary vendors in the downtown core. (Because a minimum of 4 are required for State Health Department requirements, CEDA requested that the other 2 be identified outside of the downtown area.) At the last meeting of the Task Force, where several CEDA members attended, there was even discussion of striking the language for a stationary vendor entirely from the new ordinance, crippling the potential opportunities for food trucks in Lexington.

From that meeting, it became apparent that the concerns of the food truck vendors needed to be consolidated, and within a matter of hours, several existing vendors had banded together to form the Bluegrass Food Truck Association. They’ve already had two meetings and have written a press release to call for cooperation and partnership between all the different food vendors.

I am pleased to report that following the last, rather depressing, Task Force meeting where it seemed like we might miss the opportunity to use this current ordinance to allow for food trucks, this past week’s subcommittee meeting struck upon the idea to identify stationary vendor operating hours specifically for late night only (after 10pm) when most downtown restaurants are already closed. Given some of the concerns regarding competition, the subcommittee thought this might have the best chance of moving forward while still meeting the valid need for food options during the late night bar scene for Lexington.

So here’s the thing – it’s been a long road so far, and while things hopefully look like there’s a viable compromise on the horizon, nothing’s a done deal. Of course I respect that the issue is a complicated one – probably much more complicated than this anxious food truck fare eater initially anticipated. But I’m still convinced that stationary vendors offering innovative food options on the go throughout downtown Lexington, particularly during late night, would be a great addition to this progressive city. And while I recognize that we need to be careful to take into account everyone’s unique perspective, I think it’s even more important that we don’t become paralyzed by the fear of the unknown.

Throughout this process a lot of talk has been given to the “unintended consequences” of the new ordinance and what may result from legislation that is too open-ended or unrestricted. It is in fact, this hesitancy that I bristle at the most. ProgressLex’s mission centers around creating and sustaining a thriving, diverse and beautiful Lexington that will serve all of its citizens. To do this, we may at times, have to do things different than before. We may in fact misstep occasionally on the path forward. But progress REQUIRES movement, whereas fear suppresses it.

Given the response to the Kentucky.com article announcing that food trucks were imminent for Lexington, I have come to realize that it is possible to be too bullish about this issue. In our quest as consumers to have a wider variety of food options, we should also recommit ourselves to the wide spectrum of food establishments that have already committed to downtown. But we as consumers also need to be heard.

If you, like me, are anxious to see our ordinance rewritten to allow for stationary vendors legally offering a wider range of food in Lexington, I urge you to show your support to the Bluegrass Food Truck Association by liking them on Facebook.

Furthermore, I urge you to contact your councilperson to let them know that you’d like to see the new ordinance allow for stationary vendors, providing more options to consumers and food entrepreneurs alike.

And of course, don’t forget to continue to support the other brick and mortar establishments that have long been dedicated to our city’s downtown.

For now, it doesn’t seem like the ordinance is in a final enough form to move out of committee. However, on a positive note, I think we’re getting closer to compromise. And compromise is what it’s going to take to move this issue from the fear of the unknown to a more progressive, tastier downtown.

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