Stockton Code could prevent food trucks from parking near restaurants

Restaurant owners in Stockton are at odds with the rising number of food trucks parking along city streets.Owners of so-called “brick and mortar” restaurants say the trucks have an unfair advantage since they don’t face the same financial and regulatory burdens.To address the differences, city council members on the Legislative and Environmental Committee are considering an amendment to the city code that regulates where and how long a food truck can park on city streets.”It’s to hear what are the concerns? How are these concerns addressed in other communities through their ordinances? And then what are the unique aspects of our community that might make it different?” community outreach coordinator Connie Cochran said.A city staff report raises issues such as the availability of parking and proximity to crosswalks.City council leaders are looking to several other cities, including Elk Grove, to see how they have addressed the issues there.In all three cases, the cities have enacted restrictions on how close a food truck can park on a city street near an existing restaurant.”They will look at some of the ordinances that are in existence in other cities and say, ‘Does that make sense for our community?’ and what changes may need to be made or not need to be made and then how would we address that,” Cochran said.Business owners and the community at large are invited to share opinions and concerns at today’s committee meeting, which will be held at Stockton City Hall starting at 4 p.m.