Portland, the Land of the (Food Truck) Free
Ever wondered by Portland's food truck scene kicks so much butt? Writer Lizzy Caston of Food Carts Portland offers a simple, and unsurprising, explanation:
"I would describe their attitude toward regulation as laissez-faire," she says. "In the 1950's and onward, a lot of cities re-regulated to prevent what they called 'street peddlers' or mobile food vendors – part of that 1950's urban renewal where they got rid of sidewalks and put in freeways. Portland never did that sort of thing, so it's not so much what Portland did as what they haven't done. If you're on land that is zoned commercial, meaning you could put a restaurant or a home business there, and you have a business license and get the appropriate permits, which are fairly straightforward, you can have a food cart. It does not need to move every 30 or 45 minutes as it does in some cities – as long as it has axles and can be hauled away at some point, it is considered a mobile food unit."
Also, Reason gets results?:
"Some cities are very supportive of food trucks, such as Cleveland. They've realized that they're good economic development, good temporary land use for blighted spaces, they create jobs, they bring positive street use – eyes on the street.
Lots more Reason on food trucks.
Via Baylen Linnekin's Keep Food Legal Twitter feed. Bonus Linnekin appearance in the video below as well.
