Ban on downtown Merced food trucks to end. Why leaders say it’s time, among other big plans
It may sound absurd to modern ears, but for 15 years the City of Merced has banned food trucks from its downtown due to fears that the now-prolific and hip mobile eateries would foster a nest of illegal activity.
A 2006 Merced ordinance prohibited food trucks — and other businesses like bail bonds, skateboard shops and methadone clinics — from the city center, defined as the blocks bounded by Martin Luther King Jr. Way and 19th, 16th and O streets.
Food trucks were explicitly called out at the time as “blighting influences that contributed to littering, loitering, and providing a place for illegal activity,” according to an administrative report at the time.
But Merced City Council on Monday signaled that its own era of food truck prohibition will soon come to a timely close.
The council unanimously voted to introduce a new ordinance that will permit food trucks downtown, in addition to several other commercial zoning adjustments intended to generally promote business around Merced.
“We talk a lot about being business friendly, and this is the nuts and bolts right here,” said Merced Mayor Matt Serratto.
Merced Planning Manager Kim Espinosa noted at Monday’s meeting how popular food trucks have become around the nation and in the Merced region as entrepreneurial opportunities. About one year ago, the City of Atwater too terminated a long-time food truck embargo.
“The attitudes about food trucks have changed substantially over the years,” Espinosa said.
That changing attitude has been reflected locally in that, despite the moratorium downtown, the city has permitted one “food truck parking area” and many standalone food trucks in recent years.
Removing the prohibition in the city center is intended to align with the now-positive perception of food trucks, as well as address some existing downtown businesses’ desire to utilize food trucks as another amenity, Espinosa said.
Also slated to come with the introduced ordinance is the addition of listing breweries, distilleries and wineries as a specific land use in various commercial zones. The hope, according to city staff, is that doing so will encourage their development.
Quest for South Merced grocery store continues
City Council also tackled — again — the persistent issue of south Merced being hungry for a grocery store. City officials on Monday said amendments to the zoning ordinance will help to attract development in the city’s southern region.
“This is something that we have been working for for so long for the residents in District 2,” said City Council member Fernando Echevarria, whose district covers south Merced.
Complaints over the lack of a grocery store have plagued the city for years, as promising prospects have in the past fallen through. Questions are frequently raised by residents during election cycles at city candidate debates.
Local officials have said that the issue is complex and difficult to address from the city-level, as private property decisions are not dictated by the city. The city’s best tactic is to make the region attractive so that private industry finds it appealing to develop, city officials have said.
A 6 acre piece of land at the corner of Childs Avenue and Canal Street was designated as a commercial shopping center zone in 2012. The move was an effort to attract a grocery store and shopping center to south Merced.
The city since then has continued to market the site. Recently, a new developer has shown interest in developing it, Espinosa said.
But the prospective developer and city staff concurred that broadening permitted uses of the site would make it more attractive, as will reducing the amount of floor area required for grocery sales from 20,000 to 8,000 square feet, Espinosa said.
Monday’s ordinance reduced the amount of floor area devoted to grocery sales at the site and amended the zone’s uses to include mobile food vendors, restaurants, medical offices, day care centers and other businesses.
Opening up the area to further services while maintaining the plan for a grocery store will hopefully lead to development of the site, Espinosa said.
“I’m just jazzed about this one, this is just such a good project,” Echevarria said.
This story was originally published March 3, 2021 at 2:40 PM.
