Explanation
BACKGROUND: This ordinance establishes a map, which will divide Columbus into three zones for the purpose of mobile food vending operations. In November 2012, City Council was approached about developing regulations for food trucks and other mobile food vendors. On April 7, 2014, City Council passed Ordinance 0773-2014, which repealed Chapter 573 Pushcarts and enacted a new 573, establishing comprehensive regulations for the operation of mobile food vendors.
The new Chapter 573 creates three zones in the City - congestion zone, commercial zone, and non-commercial zone. The congestion zone covers areas that are highly congested. Mobile food vendors operating in the congestion zone have limited access to the public right of way. They can only operate in designated mobile food vending spaces. The commercial zone is less congested and is located in commercial areas, such as the Downtown. It is more open for mobile food vendors. They can park in the first and last spaces of a block in the commercial zone. Finally, non-commercial zone are residential areas. There is extremely limited access for mobile food vendors operating in the non-commercial zone. They can receive a temporary commercial zone permit from the Department of Public Service to operate for a limited time in the non-commercial zone or they can stay parked for no longer than fifteen.
Chapter 573 requires that the director of public service, in consultation with the director of public safety and the Mobile Food Vending Advisory Board, establish the boundaries of the three zones. To ensure the success of this new legislation and that mobile food vendors know where they can operate in the City, Council suspended this requirement (Sections 573.132(a) and 573.133(a)) until October 1, 2014.
Council with the help of the Department of Development, Planning Division has divided the City into the three zones. It has created a map, attached here, that will be displayed on the Department of Safety, License Sections' website for the ease of the City's licensed mobile food vendors.
Creating the map of the zones through an ordinance allows mobile food vendors to know the parameters of where they can operate. This map will be available on the License Section website and provided to all new applicants. At the end of this year, the Mobile Food Vending Advisory Board will conduct a formal review of the boundaries of the zones. The Advisory Board can make a recommendation to the Director of the Department of Public Service to modify the boundaries, and therefore change the map, at this time.
FISCAL IMPACT: None.
Title
To establish a map, which will divide Columbus into three zones for the purpose of mobile food vending operations; and to declare an emergency.
Body
WHEREAS, on April 7, 2014, Columbus City Council passed comprehensive mobile food vending code; and
WHEREAS, as part of this legislation, Columbus City Council suspended sections 573.13(a) and 573.133(a) of the new code to allow for the immediate creation of new mobile food vending zones; and
WHEREAS, dividing the City into three zones now, allows for Columbus' mobile food vendors to begin to take advantage of the public right of way immediately; and
WHEREAS, this map will be available on the License Section's website for our mobile food vendors to know where they can and cannot operate; and
WHEREAS, an emergency exists in the usual daily operation of the city, in that it is immediately necessary to establish this map thereby preserving the public health, peace, property, safety and welfare; now, therefore
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS:
SECTION 1. That the attached map (see attached file: "Mobile Food Vending Map") satisfies the requirements of sections 573.132(a) and 573.133(a) by establishing the congestion and commercials zones as they relate to mobile food vending.
SECTION 2. That for the reasons stated in the preamble hereto, which is hereby made a part hereof, this ordinance is declared to be an emergency measure and shall take effect and be in force from and after its passage and approval by the Mayor, or ten days after passage if the Mayor neither approves nor vetoes the same.