Food Trucks - Greater Greater Washington

Food truck regs not tasty enough

Mon, 13 May 2013 08:40:00 EDT

DC councilmembers don't seem inclined to approve food truck regulations. DCRA will allocate 180 spots for trucks downtown, but truck operators want more concentration in the popular areas. (City Paper)

Comment

Arlington may relax rules

Mon, 13 May 2013 08:40:00 EDT

by David Alpert

Arlington might let food trucks park for more than 2 hours and later at night, but as in DC restaurant owners say trucks' lower costs and no state taxes make competition unfair. (WAMU)

Comment

DC IDs 150 food truck spots

Fri, 10 May 2013 08:24:00 EDT

by Steven Yates

DC officials will identify 150 spots for food trucks in the most popular locations, but that likely won't be enough to satisfy truck owners. (Post)

Comment

Food trucks protest

Tue, 07 May 2013 08:47:00 EDT

by David Alpert

DC food trucks didn't serve food in Farragut Square as a protest against proposed regulations. (Washington Times) ... But restaurant owners say the trucks are exaggerating, and at designated vending zones like Farragut, many trucks could potentially still operate. (DCist)

Comment

And...

Fri, 03 May 2013 08:54:00 EDT

by Steven Yates

A reminder to give up your seat on Metro for pregnant women. (Unsuck DC Metro) ... Don't like sprawling mansions? Then check out this one-room house on Capitol Hill. (UrbanTurf) ... Tom Toles takes on food truck rules. (Post)

Comment

Will Arlington steal the food trucks?

Tue, 09 Apr 2013 08:58:00 EDT

by David Alpert

Arlington is easing regulations for food trucks to help more operate there. Coupled with more restrictive proposed DC rules, some operators say they will just move across the river. (Patch)

Comment

Scrap the food truck regulations

Fri, 05 Apr 2013 10:32:00 EDT

by Michael Hamilton

DC food trucks have grown in number and quality over the last several years, and are now a lunchtime staple in the District's business corridors. But new regulations would directly undermine food trucks, giving DC workers fewer options and lower-quality food.

Photo by tedeytan on Flickr.

Food trucks have been in a state of legal limbo since they first started selling lunches in 2009. Current regulations were meant for other mobile businesses, such as hot dog stands and ice cream trucks. They are not designed for modern food truck practices.

While food trucks register with the District, are inspected for safety and cleanliness, and pay the same 10% tax on sales that restaurants do, many other issues have yet to be settled. For example, food trucks regularly receive expensive parking tickets because they often need to stay at a given location for more than 2 hours.

The currently-proposed regulations are their fourth revision. Rather than focusing public safety, they micromanage when and where individual food trucks can operate. But food trucks have been successful in large part because they quickly respond to consumer needs by changing menus and locations.

Most of downtown would be permanently off-limits under the new regulations, aside from a handful allowed to operate in designated "mobile roadway vending locations."

Locations where food trucks would be allowed or prohibited downtown.
Image from the DC Food Truck Association.

The regulations themselves do not create a single MRV location. Instead, they allow DC's Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA) to propose locations and the number of food trucks that can operate in each one, subject to review by the District Department of Transportation.

The regulations also allow the director of either agency, on his or her own, "the discretion to propose, modify, or remove a designated MRV location at any time." This does not protect consumers from any actual harm. Given how popular food trucks are, it's not clear which, if any, public interest is being addressed by the regulations.

Helder Gil, DCRA's legislative affairs specialist, has stated that the regulations are an attempt to "find something that works for everyone." This is a misguided goal. Many restaurateurs would prefer a downtown free from competitors, but it makes as much sense to give restaurants input on where food trucks can operate as it does to give food trucks control over prices restaurants can charge.

In heeding the concerns of restaurants, DCRA has strayed from the traditionally-accepted role of crafting regulations to preserve public health by attempting to control competition between businesses.

It's also clear that restaurants and food trucks can coexist. While food trucks have the advantages of mobility, low overhead, and convenience, restaurants have the advantages of seating, climate control, and larger kitchens. When restaurants and food trucks compete for customers by playing to their strengths, consumers win. When businesses thrive by regulating competitors out existence, consumers lose.

DCRA should completely scrap the latest proposed regulations. Instead, simpler regulations should bring food trucks into a legal status without giving local officials power to stifle competition. DCRA should issue a mobile vending license for any truck that meets the already-existing standards for cleanliness and safety.

These licenses should permit trucks to park in any available spot in a commercial zone, allowing them to operate near their customers. The cost of the license, in the range of a few hundred dollars per month, would bring in more revenue than trucks currently pay by feeding parking meters.

By keeping food truck regulations simple and rule-based, we can ensure that restaurants and food trucks compete on an even playing field. By removing discretion from the regulations, we can ensure that consumers, not competitors or officials, are in control.

If you would like to share your input on the proposed food truck regulations, send your thoughts to DCVendingRegs@dc.gov by 5 pm on Monday, April 8th.

42 comments

Why the food truck rules?

Fri, 29 Mar 2013 08:48:00 EDT

by David Alpert

The food truck association says most trucks won't be able to serve downtown under new regulations, which allow only 3 at a time in key areas. Is this regulation necessary at all? (City Paper, Slate)

Comment

Food trucks chafe at rules

Fri, 15 Mar 2013 08:41:00 EDT

by David Alpert

Food truck operators aren't happy about new regulations that could limit how many go at once to popular spots like Farragut Square. (Examiner) ... One food truck is closing down and blames DC bureaucracy, though it also just sounds like he wasn't making enough money. (City Paper)

Comment

And...

Fri, 11 Jan 2013 08:34:00 EDT

by Steven Yates

Don't be alarmed if you see people on Metro this weekend without pants. (Patch) ... The London Tube turned 150. (Atlantic Cities) ... Boston gives the food truck treatment to city hall services. (Atlantic Cities) ... SW Ecosdistrict gets OK from NCPC. (WTOP)

Comment

Travel-time maps show how time and distance relate (Nov 22, 2011)
Regional congestion relief for the cost of a latte (Mar 29, 2010)
NPS considers less traffic an "adverse effect" (Mar 31, 2008)
Cars vs. bikes (Jan 14, 2008)

And...

Tue, 08 Jan 2013 08:38:00 EDT

by Thaddeus Bell

Amtrak adds nighttime Acela service between DC and New York. (Post) A developer launched another app to help locate DC's food trucks. (DCist) ... CityCenterDC will have some swanky condos, but "Central Park living," not quite. (Post, City Paper)

Comment

The eternal question: New York via train or bus? (Aug 3, 2010)
Amtrak soft launches Wi-Fi, but with content filtering (Oct 19, 2011)
Amtrak celebrates 40 years today (May 1, 2011)
Food trucks enhance brick-and-mortar restaurants (Mar 16, 2011)
The Triboro RX (Jun 30, 2007)

And...

Fri, 07 Dec 2012 08:34:00 EDT

by Thaddeus Bell

GWU will allow students to use their meal plans at food trucks. (GW Hatchet) ... Alcohol sales will be legal in DC on Sundays. (DCist) ... Everyone is excited about Chicago's new bike lane. (Streetsblog) ... Same-sex couples can start applying for marriage licenses in some counties, including Montgomery. (WJLA)

Comment

Popular food truck spots in peril

Fri, 09 Nov 2012 08:29:00 EDT

by Thaddeus Bell

Proposed regulations to limit food trucks where sidewalks are narrow could block them in some of the most popular locations. DDOT has promised to grant waivers, but the food truck association is skeptical. (Post)

Comment

Food trucks enhance brick-and-mortar restaurants (Mar 16, 2011)
DDOT anti-curb cut regulation important but needs flexibility (Oct 8, 2008)
Food trucks could fill in retail gaps (Apr 22, 2010)
Parking hall of shame: Truck blocks crosswalk and travel lane (Apr 19, 2010)
Bicyclist killed by garbage truck at 20th & Conn. (Jul 8, 2008)

And...

Fri, 19 Oct 2012 08:32:00 EDT

by Steven Yates

Food truck operators are not happy with DC's new regulations. (Examiner) ... After much work, Rhode Island Avenue is finally getting some retail. (UrbanTurf) ... As the DC area becomes more of a 24 hour city, there are a few restaurants that stay open all hours. (UrbanTurf)

Comment

And...

Wed, 03 Oct 2012 08:28:00 EDT

by Thaddeus Bell

Bike sales in Italy surpassed car sales for the first time since 1945. (Telegraph, charlie) ... The Dupont Metro station's south entrance reopens this month. (Post) ... Temporarily closing LA's Route 405 didn't bring much congestion. (Streetsblog) ... Tricycle-based food trucks will serve ice cream sandwiches. (City Paper)

Comment

Metro improves bike parking at NoMa station (May 3, 2012)
Ask GGW: Why is Farragut Crossing longer on weekends? (Nov 16, 2011)
Bike news (Jul 3, 2009)
Montgomery Council boosts Purple Line, Bethesda entrance (Mar 14, 2012)
Arlington plans to increase capacity at Rosslyn Metro (Sep 24, 2010)

Food trucks collect tax

Tue, 02 Oct 2012 08:16:00 EDT

by David Alpert

DC's food trucks have started collecting sales tax. Brick-and-mortar restaurants said the previous arrangement was unfair, since they had to pay sales taxes and the two often compete. (DCist)

Comment

Food trucks enhance brick-and-mortar restaurants (Mar 16, 2011)
Food trucks could fill in retail gaps (Apr 22, 2010)
Equalize online and offline sales taxes (Apr 8, 2009)
Expand the sales tax to selected services instead of raising rates (Aug 24, 2009)
Should DC dump the sales tax? (Nov 29, 2010)

Railgate to the Metrodome

Wed, 26 Sep 2012 08:28:00 EDT

by David Alpert

Are football stadiums incompatible with urbanism? Not in Minneapolis, where Vikings fans who take the light rail or bike "railgate" before games. Food trucks assemble by the station to feed the fans. (StarTribune)

Comment

Food trucks get an hour

Thu, 13 Sep 2012 08:38:00 EDT

by Steven Yates

Arlington police are now enforcing a 60-minute limit on food trucks. Some owners now no longer operate in the county while others are going with food carts, which are not subject to the time limit. (Examiner)

Comment

Food trucks could fill in retail gaps (Apr 22, 2010)
Food trucks enhance brick-and-mortar restaurants (Mar 16, 2011)
Zimmerman to visit happy hour tomorrow; sign up to testify for transit on the Arlington budget (Mar 23, 2010)
What to do with Arlington's vacant retail space (Aug 25, 2010)
24-hour service that isn't: the drive-thru dilemma (Dec 31, 2008)

And...

Mon, 30 Jul 2012 09:21:00 EDT

by Steven Yates

DC is considering updating a tax credit that helps low-income families afford housing. (DCFPI) ... Tysons Corner's largest mixed use development breaks ground. (Post) ... Arlington cracks down on food trucks. (ARLnow)

Comment

Frontline examines imperiled watersheds and the Arlington solution (Apr 22, 2009)
Tysons planners: Making a city is hard, so never mind (Sep 15, 2009)
Proposed Tysons Metro station names are still a little dull (Oct 21, 2010)
Support a sustainable Tysons (Sep 3, 2008)
Capital One's Tysons redevelopment needs more housing (Sep 28, 2011)

Food trucks come to Takoma Junction

Tue, 17 Jul 2012 08:14:00 EDT

by Thaddeus Bell

The city of Takoma Park is looking to food trucks as an interim solution to the lack of restaurants in Takoma Junction. The trucks are operating free of charge each Friday out of a city-owned parking lot. (Gazette)

Comment

Food trucks enhance brick-and-mortar restaurants (Mar 16, 2011)
Food trucks could fill in retail gaps (Apr 22, 2010)
Takoma Park considering boulevard for New Hampshire Ave (Aug 14, 2008)
Takoma Park progressives are for progress (Feb 28, 2012)
Takoma: some space is green, garage will be optional (Jul 19, 2008)

And...

Sat, 07 Jul 2012 13:09:00 EDT

by Thaddeus Bell

The Chik-fil-A food truck will begin service in DC this Monday. (Post)... Amid talk about WV's MARC service, let's recall more ambitious proposals. (RPUS)... DC cleared almost 300 trees in the wake of last week's storm. (DCist)

Comment

Greater Baltimore & Washington Transit Future version 2 (Feb 25, 2008)
DoD begins encouraging transit for BRAC commuters (Jul 25, 2011)
MTA and CSX explain lousy MARC Brunswick performance (Oct 25, 2010)
ACT creates Montgomery County transit vision (Feb 16, 2010)
MARC will run more, shorter trains (Jan 25, 2011)

Food trucks a problem in Rosslyn?

Wed, 23 May 2012 08:31:00 EDT

by Steven Yates

The Rosslyn BID wants to limit food trucks in the area. The BID represents several restaurants who feel the food trucks are not invested in the area. Some residents might say the restaurant selection is poor. (ARLnow)

Comment

Food trucks enhance brick-and-mortar restaurants (Mar 16, 2011)

Food trucks on the Mall?

Mon, 05 Mar 2012 08:37:00 EDT

by Steven Yates

Harriet Tregoning thinks a food truck pavilion would be a great answer to the current lack of food choices available on the National Mall. So far, the Park Service hasn't said no. (Examiner)

Comment

Food trucks enhance brick-and-mortar restaurants (Mar 16, 2011)
Park Service might allow real transit on the Mall (Mar 17, 2010)
Food trucks could fill in retail gaps (Apr 22, 2010)
Right on, Harriet Tregoning! (Mar 4, 2008)
Park Service will allow CaBi on the Mall (Sep 6, 2011)

Taxes for truck tacos

Wed, 29 Feb 2012 08:40:00 EDT

by David Alpert

Food trucks would have to start paying sales taxes like everyone else under a bill going to markup on Thursday in the DC Council. Food trucks earning less than a threshold could keep paying a flat annual fee as they do today. (DCist)

Comment

Taxes lowest for DC residents and car-free Virginians (Feb 22, 2011)
DC Council considers primary date, diagonal parking, free school transit, taxi medallions and much more (Mar 16, 2011)
What's a tax, what's a fee, and what's just a shell game (Apr 28, 2009)
Equalize online and offline sales taxes (Apr 8, 2009)
Soda tax would boost public health (May 18, 2010)

Office cafeterias decline

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 08:14:00 EDT

by David Alpert

Many federal buildings and law firms have cafeterias, but more and more workers are going elsewhere for better food at restaurants and food trucks. Cafeterias are better for private conversations, though. (City Paper)

Comment

Food trucks enhance brick-and-mortar restaurants (Mar 16, 2011)
The soul-crushing emptiness of downtown DC (Dec 1, 2007)
Food trucks could fill in retail gaps (Apr 22, 2010)
Hungry in NoMa after 7 pm? Your choices are lean (Apr 28, 2011)
Encourage better conditions for restaurant workers (Nov 9, 2010)

Reforming food truck rules

Sat, 21 Jan 2012 09:31:00 EDT

by David Edmondson

Food trucks will be allowed to idle without customers as long as they obey parking laws, freeing them from fines under the current rule. Mayor Gray wants to implement this and other changes to DC's food truck rules. (Examiner)

Comment

Food trucks enhance brick-and-mortar restaurants (Mar 16, 2011)
Food trucks could fill in retail gaps (Apr 22, 2010)
Replace bulk parking ticket discount with sensible curb management policy (Apr 3, 2009)
Parking hall of shame: Truck blocks crosswalk and travel lane (Apr 19, 2010)
Scrutiny and liberty in zoning (May 13, 2008)

Fines for the food trucks

Fri, 23 Dec 2011 08:22:00 EDT

by David Edmondson

DC Police are cracking down on food trucks with parking tickets to trucks that stay too long. Operators say they're being targeted unfairly. (Post)

Comment

Food trucks enhance brick-and-mortar restaurants (Mar 16, 2011)
Food trucks could fill in retail gaps (Apr 22, 2010)
Should trucks double park in bike lane or next to it? (Jan 7, 2011)
Replace bulk parking ticket discount with sensible curb management policy (Apr 3, 2009)
Council balks at bike lane parking fines (Jul 16, 2008)

Food trucks activate vacant storefronts

Thu, 15 Dec 2011 08:13:00 EDT

by Steven Yates

A new program lets food trucks set up at a vacant brick and mortar location for a week. The location this week is in Georgetown, but organizers are looking toward other neighborhoods as well. (WAMU)

Comment

Food trucks enhance brick-and-mortar restaurants (Mar 16, 2011)
Food trucks could fill in retail gaps (Apr 22, 2010)
Should trucks double park in bike lane or next to it? (Jan 7, 2011)
Just propose a Federal style store already, Apple (Dec 30, 2008)
Food insecurity in the District (Feb 5, 2009)

Size doesn't matter for gambling

Fri, 19 Aug 2011 08:30:00 EDT

by Eric Fidler

DC's online gambling program may be on hold, but the DC Lottery now has a mobile lottery truck. Since the truck doesn't sell food, it's exempt from the 18.5-foot length limit. (Examiner)

Comment

Food trucks could fill in retail gaps (Apr 22, 2010)

And...

Mon, 01 Aug 2011 08:17:00 EDT

by Jamie Scott

Alexandria will start using red light cameras to issue tickets. (Examiner) ... MPD is training officers in food truck regulations. (DCist) ... DC ranks highest for drug and alcohol abuse. (Examiner) ... Some renovated DC schools will reopen this year. (WAMU)

Comment

Distribute enforcement camera money to residents, Alaska-style (Dec 9, 2009)
WABA reports progress with MPD (Oct 30, 2008)
Crime remains high, police understaffed east of the river (Feb 3, 2011)
Driver vs. pedestrian perspective (Jan 10, 2008)
WABA letter and Graham bill for bike safety (Oct 7, 2008)

Restaurants raise bar higher on food trucks

Thu, 14 Apr 2011 08:51:00 EDT

by Erik Weber

After restaurants said their biggest beef with food trucks was that they don't pay the 10% restaurant tax, truck owners agreed to be taxed. Now the restaurants want the city to dictate where trucks can park. (Examiner)

Comment

Food trucks enhance brick-and-mortar restaurants (Mar 16, 2011)
Food trucks could fill in retail gaps (Apr 22, 2010)
Should trucks double park in bike lane or next to it? (Jan 7, 2011)
Lost Washington: Childs fast food restaurants (Nov 30, 2010)
Food insecurity in the District (Feb 5, 2009)

Pop-up canal announced

Mon, 04 Apr 2011 16:56:00 EDT

by David Alpert

DC will divert the Anacostia to create a pop-up canal in Southwest, complete with floating food trucks. Yup, it's a great April Fool post we missed in our roundup. (People's District)

Comment

Food trucks enhance brick-and-mortar restaurants (Mar 16, 2011)
Food trucks could fill in retail gaps (Apr 22, 2010)

Mobile market to take on food deserts

Thu, 31 Mar 2011 08:37:00 EDT

by Erik Weber

Arcadia Center for Sustainable Food & Agriculture is converting a school bus into a mobile farmers' market that can serve the region's food deserts. They have a happy hour and fundraiser tonight. (We Love DC)

Comment

Food desert or mirage? (Mar 30, 2010)
Will tax incentives make food deserts bloom? (Dec 4, 2009)
DC tries to ice problem of "cupcake deserts" (Apr 1, 2011)
Food trucks could fill in retail gaps (Apr 22, 2010)
Food insecurity in the District (Feb 5, 2009)

And...

Wed, 30 Mar 2011 08:48:00 EDT

by Erik Weber

Vehicles belonging to some members of Congress owe $15,000 in outstanding DC traffic fines (WUSA) ... Justice Antonin Scalia got a ticket for rear-ending a car on the GW Parkway (Post) ... Amtrak will begin tweeting delays of more than 60 minutes on the Northeast Corridor (Baltimore Sun) ... Strict zoning laws prohibit food trucks from operating in Alexandria. (Examiner)

Comment

Scrutiny and liberty in zoning (May 13, 2008)
HSR could get you to Boston in 3 hours, but it's pricey (Sep 29, 2010)
Replace bulk parking ticket discount with sensible curb management policy (Apr 3, 2009)
The eternal question: New York via train or bus? (Aug 3, 2010)
Bush threatening veto of Amtrak funding (Jun 10, 2008)

Food trucks enhance brick-and-mortar restaurants

Wed, 16 Mar 2011 15:31:00 EDT

by Dan Reed

Gourmet food trucks, now a common fixture in DC, have started to come to Silver Spring. With them comes many of the same debates, like whether these food options are taking business from restaurants in actual buildings.

Food trucks in Portland draw more customers to a block. Photo by the author.

Sligo at Silver Spring, Singular worries this is happening in Downtown Silver Spring. Is this a valid concern? Maybe not.

Food trucks are a way to fill retail gaps, figuratively and literally. Successful food trucks are ones that offer something that brick-and-mortar restaurants currently don't. They're also ways to draw hungry customers to areas of downtown Silver Spring that haven't finished developing, which could help the restaurants already there.

Right now, Ellsworth Drive between Fenton and Georgia is the only block in Silver Spring that has shops and restaurants lining it uninterrupted from end to end and on both sides. If I'm an office worker looking for a place to eat lunch, where will I go first? Probably the block where I have as many choices as possible.

I might go to Potbelly today, but tomorrow I'll want to try something new an d go to Chick-Fil-A, and so on. As a result, all of the restaurants benefit from the presence of other restaurants.

Photo by the author.

Many downtown blocks, however, have only a handful of shops or none at all. Discovery Communications didn't include a cafeteria in their headquarters on Georgia Avenue so workers would support local restaurants, but their building doesn't have any retail on the ground floor, making the sidewalks dead.

Meanwhile, popular restaurants like Jackie's have trouble drawing customers because they're too far away from other stores or restaurants for people to drop by on a whim.

Sligo worries that Skew Works, the new restaurant on Wayne Avenue, could lose business to a food truck that's started parking outside. But there's only one other restaurant on that entire block! Skew Works isn't losing customers to the food truck. They're losing customers to streets with more dining choices.

Restaurants want to draw more customers. We want to create more street activity in downtown Silver Spring. Food trucks seem like a way to kill two birds with one stone.

They're a relatively new addition to Silver Spring, and it's likely that they'll move around until finding locations that work well for them and for customers. But I don't think they'll hurt existing businesses.

With thousands of people living, working and passing through the area each day, there's no shortage of hungry people looking for places to eat. They just need to know where to find them.

11 comments

Food trucks could fill in retail gaps (Apr 22, 2010)
Rather than close Ellsworth Drive, narrow Georgia Avenue (Dec 21, 2010)
Party time in Silver Spring (Feb 16, 2010)
Bookstores create public places (Dec 1, 2010)
"Mall people" and Montgomery County's downtowns (Jul 2, 2008)

DC Council considers primary date, diagonal parking, free school transit, taxi medallions and much more

Wed, 16 Mar 2011 10:37:00 EDT

by David Alpert

DC's primary will likely move to April, people will get solar rebates, and bills introduced in the DC Council yesterday could establish a taxi medallion system, make transit free for schoolchildren, add diagonal parking, and put requirements on large retailers like Walmart.

Photo by Pcora on Flickr.

The Council approved the first reading of a bill to move DC's presidential and local primary to April 3 next year. The presidential date allows DC to potentially band together with Maryland and Delaware and get bonus delegates from the political parties, which are trying to incentivize regional primaries after March.

For the local primary, March is more problematic. Since DC's primary essentially determines the winner in races including the mayoral race, a primary at the start of March could mean that one person will hold the seat for 10 more months while another is already virtually certain to take over.

We saw Mayor Fenty essentially stop making significant decisions once he lost the primary, but Gray was not yet mayor to start making any decisions, and so little happened in the government in the interim. Having this last for almost a year is dangerous. Councilmembers Phil Mendelson (at-large) and Tommy Wells (ward 6) raised this same objection in the session, but won over no colleagues.

Also during the legislative session, the Council gave those solar rebates to people who had qualified but suddenly found there was no money; unfortunately, this comes out of other sustainable energy funding.

They also delayed a vote on a nominee to the Board of Zoning Adjustment, Gray campaign attorney 1998-2000 DCRA head Lloyd Jordan, in part because of opposition letters from some neighborhood groups.

Sekou Biddle (interim at-large) introduced a bill to make transit free for children traveling to and from school. He argued that this will reduce truancy. It might, but it would also cost money which DC doesn't have, and there was no indication where the money might come from to pay for this.

Harry Thomas, Jr. (ward 5) introduced three car-related bills. A pair of bills asks for regulations to allow diagonal parking in business corridors, when 60% of businesses in an area ask for it, and religious institutions on Sundays, with the approval of the area ANC.

Diagonal parking can be a fine way to fit more parking into an area when there is room on the street that's not already being used. DDOT is proposing this between Tenleytown's Whole Foods and Wilson High, for instance. But in most places in DC where church parking is scarce, there isn't room on the street to add diagonal parking.

Area business corridors, ANCs, and churches should be able to petition DDOT now to consider diagonal parking if they want to. They should also be able to ask DDOT to consider removing parking, or changing a street from one-way to two-way or vice versa, or adding a bike lane.

So yes, diagonal parking should be a part of the overall toolbox, and if DDOT lacks the authority to implement it now, they should get that authority. But diagonal parking will only make sense in a very small number of cases. Thomas talked about holding town halls around his ward, and it's hard not to wonder if he's just introducing this to be able to say he's doing something at those town halls, even if that something is almost always impractical for the specific situation.

On a side note, Thomas seems to be trying to keep the bill from singling out one faith by referring to "religious institutions," but by limiting the rule to Sundays, it does exclude religious institutions which celebrate on Saturdays, for instance.

Another bill that's likely to generate more serious debate is a measure from Thomas, Michael Brown (at-large) and Marion Barry (ward 8) to establish a system of taxicab medallions, with separate categories for DC resident drivers and non-resident drivers, as well as special categories for taxis operating in underserved areas and low-emission (hybrid) taxis. This topic is worth its own, separate post.

Phil Mendelson introduced a pair of bills largely targeted at Wal-Mart. Both apply only to retailers of at least 75,000 square feet, requiring them to negotiate Community Benefits Agreements with their neighborhoods and pay living wages and benefits.

Observers think these have little chance of passing. The bills will go to committees chaired by Thomas and Michael Brown, who both court the union vote but also who have shown little interest in interfering with Walmart's expansion into DC.

Other bills included ones to require food trucks to pay sales tax, as we discussed yesterday, and expand low-income property tax relief, from Jack Evans (ward 2); to publish Council procurement information online, from Chairman Kwame Brown and Mary Cheh (ward 3); to allow L3Cs, a type of hybrid nonprofit/for-profit business entity; and a number of measures from Cheh to improve transparency.

31 comments

DC Council is baaaack! (Sep 16, 2008)
Council balks at bike lane parking fines (Jul 16, 2008)
All except Mendelson introduce overhead wire bill (Jun 1, 2010)
For District of Columbia Council (Aug 31, 2010)
Car-centric and walkable instincts vie within evolving Thomas (Mar 20, 2009)

Taxing food trucks

Tue, 15 Mar 2011 08:43:00 EDT

by Erik Weber

Jack Evans wants to apply DC's 10% restaurant sales tax to food trucks. A new association of owners objects, saying the plan was drafted without input from their group. (DCist)

Comment

Another good project and annoying press (May 29, 2008)
Food trucks could fill in retail gaps (Apr 22, 2010)
Ask the Ward 2 Council candidates (Jul 8, 2008)
Evans bill encourages entertainment in downtown DC (Dec 15, 2007)
Evans-Silverman: two worlds, two boxes of tools (Jul 29, 2008)

Park Police confront food trucks

Tue, 08 Mar 2011 08:56:00 EDT

by Erik Weber

Last week the US Park Police shut down all of the food trucks around Farragut Square until MPD intervened and said that they were operating legally. (DCist)

Comment

Food trucks could fill in retail gaps (Apr 22, 2010)
Farragut Square, 1886 (Jul 30, 2009)
Park Police overprotect on Earth Day (May 10, 2010)
Should trucks double park in bike lane or next to it? (Jan 7, 2011)
Who is Peter May, and why is the National Park Service anti-urban? (Dec 10, 2008)