Author Topic: Food Trucks To Be Legislated Out of Existence?  (Read 232761 times)

Metro Jacksonville

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Food Trucks To Be Legislated Out of Existence?
« on: February 25, 2014, 03:00:01 AM »
Food Trucks To Be Legislated Out of Existence?



Food trucks have become one of the most popular scenes to hit Jacksonville in recent years.  Despite the economic stimulation and cultural excitement, City Councilman Reggie Brown is moving forward on an attempt to legislate food trucks out of existence in Jacksonville.

Read More: http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2014-feb-food-trucks-to-be-legislated-out-of-existence

Bridges

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Re: Food Trucks To Be Legislated Out of Existence?
« Reply #1 on: February 25, 2014, 07:22:23 AM »
What the?  What is moving the push behind this?  This is absurd. 
So I said to him: Arthur, Artie come on, why does the salesman have to die? Change the title; The life of a salesman. That's what people want to see.

Noone

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Re: Food Trucks To Be Legislated Out of Existence?
« Reply #2 on: February 25, 2014, 07:28:09 AM »
Flashbacks to 2010-856
Transient vendor ban.
Public, Private, Partnership?
Will be following this along with everyone else.
Thanks for the heads up Mike.

mbwright

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Re: Food Trucks To Be Legislated Out of Existence?
« Reply #3 on: February 25, 2014, 08:15:59 AM »
What a boneheaded move.  Why not just ban all business within the county line??!!
Who is pushing for this?

thelakelander

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Re: Food Trucks To Be Legislated Out of Existence?
« Reply #4 on: February 25, 2014, 08:28:28 AM »
My guess is someone not in favor of market rate economics. Considering the clear economic impact the industry brings and the benefit it has on activating dead downtown blocks, this legislation is pretty foolish on Jax's part.
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FSBA

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Re: Food Trucks To Be Legislated Out of Existence?
« Reply #5 on: February 25, 2014, 09:02:23 AM »
Hopefully this thing dies in committee. Something this boneheaded and far reaching only exists so that a slightly less bad ordinance would look "reasonable" by comparison.
I support meaningless jingoistic cliches

BridgeTroll

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Re: Food Trucks To Be Legislated Out of Existence?
« Reply #6 on: February 25, 2014, 09:07:53 AM »
Perhaps they should add the following amendments...  ::)

Queues may not be longer than three customers.

Fences must be deployed around food truck to ensure no more than three customers at a time.

Electrical power may only be generated through the use of solar panels or windmills.

Trailers may only be towed by a mule.

Customers may not loiter about the area eating or socializing.
In a boat at sea one of the men began to bore a hole in the bottom of the boat. On being remonstrating with, he answered, "I am only boring under my own seat." "Yes," said his companions, "but when the sea rushes in we shall all be drowned with you."

ronchamblin

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Re: Food Trucks To Be Legislated Out of Existence?
« Reply #7 on: February 25, 2014, 09:09:15 AM »
This seems a rather awkward issue.  Competition, as forced by the food trucks, usually is good overall for a business environment, as it lessens complacency and mediocrity.  Excessive competition, as offered by a temporary outsider having advantages via lower overhead and tax costs, can not only destroy the established brick and mortars, but can impair the efforts of an area, such as the city core, to gain "solid, long-term improvements in infrastructure".  By their nature, food trucks are temporary .. perhaps better suited to carnival environments. 

Regarding competition as presented by the food trucks, one might wonder ..  what is to happen to the brick and mortar businesses if ... once they've exhausted all avenues to improve and compete against the food trucks .... the food trucks continue to invade the area .. and continue to offer, by shear quantity, and profound, potentially destructive competition to the established older businesses ... competition which might be a consequence not of quality, but of price offerings set low simply because their overhead is lower via the temporary nature of the food truck operation.

We might ask ourselves... especially in the core ... Do we want to have solid, tax paying brick and mortar establishments, offering long term stability  ...  ultimately offering a more attractive community ambiance -- or do we want a temporary carnival atmosphere?  The goal of any city core is to enhance fundamental infrastructure, to fill the empty buildings, to produce a vibrancy tied directly to solid infrastructure, and not to a temporary carnival scenario which could easily disappear via some unforeseen condition ...  leaving a weakened infrastructure and ambiance .. which might have been caused by their very presence.

The pressure and presence of the food trucks can actually cause a city core to stagnate regarding fundamental improvements in infrastructure .. can reduce new start-ups in the core .... and will leave the city core, after many years of food truck presence, just as it was ... or worse ... before they invaded the area.

The food truck issue is similar to Art Walk and the Jazz Festival.. and One Spark.  These events are wonderful for the most part.  But they are temporary impacts.  They remind us that the city core exists for things other than the jail and the courthouse.  Although all these events are good for the most part, just as with the food trucks, they do not necessarily impact and focus on the fundamentals regarding the goal of achieving full infill and total vibrancy.  The are like candy.... quick pleasures at the expense of long-term quality.

The food trucks ultimately will impede long term efforts to revitalize the city core -- not only by discouraging new start-up investment in brick and mortar operations, but also, if allowed to increase their presence, by acting to destroy the dedicated businesses struggling to survive in the relatively low foot traffic in the core. 

In my opinion, once the city core achieves full infill, and high vibrancy, the presence of food trucks will not be seen as destructive competition ... they will be welcomed.  And the homeless, once full vibrancy has been achieved, will be somewhat welcomed too, as it will give some folks the opportunity to raise themselves up by looking down upon somebody every single day, right in the city core.

Must get to work.

BridgeTroll

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Re: Food Trucks To Be Legislated Out of Existence?
« Reply #8 on: February 25, 2014, 09:13:13 AM »
Your repeated use of the term "invasion" to describe the trucks is telling...
In a boat at sea one of the men began to bore a hole in the bottom of the boat. On being remonstrating with, he answered, "I am only boring under my own seat." "Yes," said his companions, "but when the sea rushes in we shall all be drowned with you."

Keith-N-Jax

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Re: Food Trucks To Be Legislated Out of Existence?
« Reply #9 on: February 25, 2014, 09:18:37 AM »
So that's what this is really about then.

JayBird

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Re: Food Trucks To Be Legislated Out of Existence?
« Reply #10 on: February 25, 2014, 09:18:58 AM »
This seems a rather awkward issue.  Competition, as forced by the food trucks, usually is good overall for a business environment, as it lessens complacency and mediocrity.  Excessive competition, as offered by a temporary outsider having advantages via lower overhead and tax costs, can not only destroy the established brick and mortars, but can impair the efforts of an area, such as the city core, to gain "solid, long-term improvements in infrastructure".  By their nature, food trucks are temporary .. perhaps better suited to carnival environments. 

Regarding competition as presented by the food trucks, one might wonder ..  what is to happen to the brick and mortar businesses if ... once they've exhausted all avenues to improve and compete against the food trucks .... the food trucks continue to invade the area .. and continue to offer, by shear quantity, and profound, potentially destructive competition to the established older businesses ... competition which might be a consequence not of quality, but of price offerings set low simply because their overhead is lower via the temporary nature of the food truck operation.

We might ask ourselves... especially in the core ... Do we want to have solid, tax paying brick and mortar establishments, offering long term stability  ...  ultimately offering a more attractive community ambiance -- or do we want a temporary carnival atmosphere?  The goal of any city core is to enhance fundamental infrastructure, to fill the empty buildings, to produce a vibrancy tied directly to solid infrastructure, and not to a temporary carnival scenario which could easily disappear via some unforeseen condition ...  leaving a weakened infrastructure and ambiance .. which might have been caused by their very presence.

The pressure and presence of the food trucks can actually cause a city core to stagnate regarding fundamental improvements in infrastructure .. can reduce new start-ups in the core .... and will leave the city core, after many years of food truck presence, just as it was ... or worse ... before they invaded the area.

The food truck issue is similar to Art Walk and the Jazz Festival.. and One Spark.  These events are wonderful for the most part.  But they are temporary impacts.  They remind us that the city core exists for things other than the jail and the courthouse.  Although all these events are good for the most part, just as with the food trucks, they do not necessarily impact and focus on the fundamentals regarding the goal of achieving full infill and total vibrancy.  The are like candy.... quick pleasures at the expense of long-term quality.

The food trucks ultimately will impede long term efforts to revitalize the city core -- not only by discouraging new start-up investment in brick and mortar operations, but also, if allowed to increase their presence, by acting to destroy the dedicated businesses struggling to survive in the relatively low foot traffic in the core. 

In my opinion, once the city core achieves full infill, and high vibrancy, the presence of food trucks will not be seen as destructive competition ... they will be welcomed.  And the homeless, once full vibrancy has been achieved, will be somewhat welcomed too, as it will give some folks the opportunity to raise themselves up by looking down upon somebody every single day, right in the city core.

Must get to work.

This is written as if by someone whom as never stepped foot downtown in the past two years. The food trucks aren't taking business away from DT, actually the exact opposite has happened. People would go elsewhere to eat but by keepin them DT you are allowing them to see what other retail is open in the neighborhood. And the fact that the article lists three food trucks that have opened brick and mortar locations show that they are are welcomed by the community.

I mean, this is absurd as saying we should have legislation that bans bookstores downtown because they hurt the library and the library system needs more foot traffic which will come by banning bookstores.

With election talking heating up, I wonder how much of a ploy this is just to get his name out there. Even bad press is good press for politicians.
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BridgeTroll

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Re: Food Trucks To Be Legislated Out of Existence?
« Reply #11 on: February 25, 2014, 09:19:42 AM »
Your repeated use of the term "invasion" to describe the trucks is telling...

Its a term used by Chamblin's friend, Jerry Moran, who has a restaurant down the block.



Is there a high end italian food truck?
In a boat at sea one of the men began to bore a hole in the bottom of the boat. On being remonstrating with, he answered, "I am only boring under my own seat." "Yes," said his companions, "but when the sea rushes in we shall all be drowned with you."

JayBird

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Re: Food Trucks To Be Legislated Out of Existence?
« Reply #12 on: February 25, 2014, 09:20:53 AM »
Ron, or anyone for that matter, how many restaurants have been forced to close or cut back because of this invasion of foood trucks?
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thelakelander

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Re: Food Trucks To Be Legislated Out of Existence?
« Reply #13 on: February 25, 2014, 09:23:45 AM »
 
Quote
Like, which city 'stagnated' because of food trucks?

Bingo. Good luck coming up with one city that has economically stagnated because of food trucks? 

What businesses and parks (seriously, why can't a truck be anywhere near a park?) locally are suffering specifically because of food trucks? 

This whole thing is really silly but a great example of  why Jacksonville continues to struggle with downtown and urban core revitalization.
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thelakelander

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Re: Food Trucks To Be Legislated Out of Existence?
« Reply #14 on: February 25, 2014, 09:28:16 AM »
The food truck issue is similar to Art Walk and the Jazz Festival.. and One Spark.  These events are wonderful for the most part.  But they are temporary impacts.  They remind us that the city core exists for things other than the jail and the courthouse.  Although all these events are good for the most part, just as with the food trucks, they do not necessarily impact and focus on the fundamentals regarding the goal of achieving full infill and total vibrancy.  The are like candy.... quick pleasures at the expense of long-term quality.

The food trucks ultimately will impede long term efforts to revitalize the city core -- not only by discouraging new start-up investment in brick and mortar operations, but also, if allowed to increase their presence, by acting to destroy the dedicated businesses struggling to survive in the relatively low foot traffic in the core.

Ron, I love you but you couldn't be more wrong with this particular comment. The start up brick and mortar restaurants below are all local urban core examples of growth from food trucks.





"A man who views the world the same at 50 as he did at 20 has wasted 30 years of his life.” - Muhammad Ali