Here Come the Food Trucks...

This NOLA story discusses a phenomenon that is becoming more and more popular in many cities:  the food truck.

Historically, the term "food truck" often conjures up images of the mobile deli sandwich vehicle stopping at work sites to sell pre-made roast beef and turkey sandwiches on lunch breaks.

The new wave of food trucks are decidedly more hip though.  Cities like Austin, NYC, and LA are finding high profile chefs taking an interest in mobile trucks selling high quality and artisan food.

The land use angle comes up when questions about, among other things, permitted uses arise.  That is, can a food truck park in a residential neighborhood that otherwise does not allow non-residential uses?

An interesting question is whether these elaborate food trucks are more akin to the ice cream truck that quickly passes through the neighborhood or something more involved that may in certain cases park for an afternoon and maybe even put out chairs.

You can find more on food truck zoning from Planetizen here as well as here.

--Chad Emerson, Faulkner U.