IC council to consider ending downtown food carts
Lang
1/19/19
Downtown Iowa City staples such as George’s Gyros and Marcos’ Grilled Cheese may soon be a thing of the past.
The city council is set to discuss scrapping the Ped Mall food cart program at Tuesday’s work session. In a memo to City Manager Geoff Fruin, Assistant to the City Manager Simon Andrew recommends discontinuing the program after considering the carts’ impact on public safety, Ped Mall infrastructure and administrative costs.
Andrew cites the recent proliferation of sidewalk cafes, noting they cater to a daytime and evening crowd that the original cart program was intended to serve. He goes on to write that the food carts mostly serve a late-night clientele, keeping crowds on the Ped Mall after bar close and creating a public safety hazard.
Andrew also argues that removing the food carts will help traffic flow on the Ped Mall following the current reconstruction project. He also noted the recent addition of pop-up shops to the Ped Mall landscape.
Another goal of removing the food carts, according to Andrew, is to encourage other restaurants that do not have liquor licenses to remain open past midnight to give downtown patrons entertainment options that do not include alcohol.
The current food cart permits expire on April 30th. Andrew recommends extending those permits to December 22nd before stopping the program entirely.
The city council will discuss the discontinuation of the food cart program at Tuesday’s work session, set for 5pm at City Hall on East Washington Street.
