Greensburg debates looser food truck restrictions

Greensburg is revisiting its food truck ordinance, and reviving a debate about whether mobile eateries help the local economy or jeopardize brick-and-mortar restaurants.

The city implemented its current ordinance in 2016 over the objections of food truck operators. It limits trucks operating on city streets to between the hours of 10:30 p.m. and 3 a.m., and mandates those operating on private property do so at least 500 feet from brick-and-mortar restaurants.

This means virtually all of downtown is off limits to food trucks.

Council is considering loosening some of these restrictions, though by how much is up for discussion.

Mayor Robb Bell advocated for maintaining fairly strict limits, prohibiting food trucks within 350 feet of restaurants in most cases. Several council members suggested a more lenient approach, reducing the distance limits to 100 feet.

Officials are still working out the wording, but the proposed limit will probably be somewhere in between. The ordinance would also allow food truck operators to seek waivers from restaurants near where they hope to operate, which would exempt them from the distance limit.

“We’ve got to protect these brick-and-mortar places,” Bell said at a livestreamed agenda meeting Monday. “The brick-and-mortar people are the people that invest in this city, they invest in their buildings, they invest in their businesses and they pay their taxes. The food trucks, they come in, they do their thing, and they get the hell out.”

Councilman Greg Mertz disagreed, saying food trucks bring potential shoppers into the city.

“When there’s an event our downtown is very vibrant,” he said. “It’s full of people.”

Invisible Man Brewing Co. co-owner Sean McLaughlin said he’d like to invite food trucks into the city for his patrons.

“The food trucks and the restaurants can coexist together,” he said. “The thing with food trucks that makes them so appealing to people in the community is there’s a lot of options that you can’t find in Greensburg.”

His South Pennsylvania Avenue brewery is about 150 feet from fine dining restaurant The Venue. The restaurant’s owner, Michael Villi, isn’t convinced by the argument that food trucks on his block would be good for the city.

“You can’t put a food truck in front of a restaurant,” he said. “The hoops that we have to jump through as businesses owners in brick-and-mortar restaurants are huge.”

He’s not opposed to food trucks in the city, but he wants plenty of distance between them and his establishment. He thinks the city should establish a designated area for food trucks — one at least a few hundred feet from any restaurants. Exceptions could be made for festivals and other citywide events, he said.

If a business like Invisible Man wants to host events with food, they should partner with local restaurants, he suggested.

“I don’t bring a beer truck in and park it across the street from my restaurant,” he said.

McLaughlin said he already encourages patrons to order food from local restaurants and bring it into the brewery, but that food trucks could attract a new crowd. Fans will follow their favorite food trucks, which could bring new faces to Greensburg, he said.

“This has nothing to do with other local businesses, this is just a way for our patrons to enjoy their evenings and bring more people into our community.”

Council members say they recognize the need to protect restaurants, but also want to find ways to make the city more open to food trucks.

“I don’t want to hinder the brick-and-mortar, but I want to provide more options for our community,” councilwoman Cheryl Lennert said.

Last year the city slashed the prices of its two yearly food truck licenses from $800 and $1,200 to $300 and $600. The cheaper license allows trucks to operate on city streets during late night hours, the more expensive option also allows trucks to operate on private lots as long as they maintain the required distance from restaurants.

It also introduced three new cheaper license types to allow food trucks to operate for a single day or during special events.

City officials are expected to finalize the wording for a proposed revised food truck ordinance and introduce it at Monday’s council meeting. Council will vote on the ordinance in June.

Monday’s 7 p.m. meeting will be conducted via videoconferencing site Zoom, and streamed live on the city’s Facebook page.