Photo: efunrentals
According to The Oxford Enterprise, during a recent meeting of the Courthouse Square Preservation Commission in which the topic of neon signs around the Square were discussed, the issue of food carts also came up.
City Planner Tim Akers spoke of an ordinance change that would ban most transient vendors from the Square. The issue arose last October after Square merchants complained about the proliferation of food carts in the downtown district, especially during football game weekends. City officials have since consulted with the State Attorney General about how or if they can restrict such activity.
The proposed ordinance, given its first public reading at the last board meeting, would restrict transient vendors from the downtown district completely unless “in a completed enclosed structure.”
What’s your opinion? Speak up by commenting here or emailing foodie@eatingoxford.com.
UPDATE 4/16/10: John T. Edge recently sent in a Letter to the Editor of The Oxford Eagle; I’ve pasted it below. I happen to share the same opinion.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Reasons to encourage street food vendors
Dear Editor, I write in reference to the “transient vendor rules” discussed in a Friday Oxford EAGLE article.
I recognize the negative effect of true “transient” vendors of the sort Mr. Akers described, referencing a fair grounds. But I suggest, respectfully – as a citizen interested in quality of life as well as business development issues – that the mayor and board of aldermen reconsider enacting rules that effectively eliminate all food vendors from the Square.
For the last two years, I’ve been researching and writing a book on American street food. I’ve traveled the breadth of the country.
In Austin, Texas; Madison, Wis.; Minneapolis and dozens of other cities, I discovered that government officials are working to encourage street food, to catalyze street food vendors, instead of working to shut them down.
The reasons are numerous. I offer two: 1) Street food vendors, properly regulated, are, in essence, small business incubators. They are a means by which entrepreneurs start small and grow big. As such businesses grow, entrepreneurs prove their mettle, while increasing their contributions to city tax coffers.
2) Street food increases foot traffic in urban areas. In a recent survey, 58 percent of business owners in downtown Portland, Ore., found food vendors increased foot traffic, and 66 percent of business owners citywide had a positive perception of food vendors.
There is a marked difference between transient vendors – who arrive in Oxford for football games (or similar events) – and those business, owned by locals, which contribute to the vitality of our street life, pay local taxes, and provide income for local citizens.
One model to consider is Madison, Wis. Like Oxford, it’s a college town, with similar opportunities and challenges. An employee of the City of Madison works with a committee of citizens to curate street food choices and ensure that they uphold aesthetic and culinary standards. Perhaps such a regulatory structure might succeed here.
Sincerely, John T Edge
UPDATE 4/21/10: Several citizens spoke Tuesday in opposition to the measure shortly before the board was to vote. After hearing from the residents, the board agreed to postpone taking action on the proposed law.
