Mobile vending put on hold in St. Cloud

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Mobile vending put on hold in St. Cloud

County News

Friday, 25 February 2011 14:06

By Fallan Patterson
Staff Writer
With a moratorium on future mobile vendors unanimously approved by the St. Cloud City Council and comments from residents heard, the city is well on its way to having a mobile vending policy in place.
After months of battles between the city and those who oppose or support mobile vending within the city limits of St. Cloud, council members are poised to decide if mobile vending will be permitted and under what parameters. The moratorium, passed Thursday night, limits to five the number of mobile vendors permitted to peddle their wares for six months or until the council officially determines the fate of mobile vending. This includes food, merchandise and services being sold from a mobile or temporary structure within city limits.
Because city code does not specifically address mobile vending and several residents expressed a desire to sell barbecue, hot dogs and other foods from mobile carts in parking lots along 13th Street, council members directed staff to issue letters permitting these residents to do so.
After six letters had been issued, the council stopped issuing the letters and allowed the mobile vending to continue until the council’s decision is made.
The St. Cloud Planning and Zoning department held two public meetings in the last two weeks inviting residents on both sides of the issue to voice their opinions and provide suggestions on mobile vending.
The heavily attended meetings offered a forum where city staff recorded residents’ ideas on topics such as hours of operation, days allowed to vend, locations and sanitary guidelines for mobile food vending.
The majority of the crowd opposed mobile vending, citing the unsightly look of the carts along the highway as well as other issues.
“You can’t have a carnival set up in the parking lot,” Tina Sauer, owner of the Other Place Cafe in downtown St. Cloud, said. “There’s plenty of spaces available in St. Cloud to open (restaurants). They don’t need to be mobile.”
Dana Votech, owner of the Cobblestone Cafe, just does not want to see the carts in St. Cloud.
“I don’t like the way it looks,” she said. “My number one priority is keeping the image of the city I want to live in.”
Others, mainly the owners of the mobile carts who currently hold the permitting letters, defended their businesses, saying it’s part of the American dream and keeps their family afloat during the economy.
The mobile cart owners want the council to create guidelines for mobile vending but only in the loosest terms.
“The city doesn’t need to be in the restaurant business,” Pete Jones, who operates a mobile hot dog cart, said.
Among the parties, certain criteria was suggested, including: limiting the number of mobile vendors allowed within city limits; dawn-to-dusk operating hours; and holding the required licensing and permitting from the city, county and state.
The one criteria struck down by the majority of the attendants was the city limiting the types of food vendors allowed. For example, of the five vendors holding permitting letters, two of them sell barbecue and three sell hot dogs and/or sausages. The vendors would prefer to allow the public to choose the vendors by patronizing, citing that those vendors who do not make money will close.
“Let them weed themselves out,” Jones said.