Planning Board pushes food truck debate to November

 

BY PRU SOWERS

KONK LIFE STAFF WRITER

The contentious debate over regulating Key West food trucks was pushed onto the back burner Thursday, Oct 16, when the city Planning Board postponed the discussion until November.

Planning Board members were set to discuss a proposed set of stringent regulations proposed by the planning department staff and city attorneys. Those regulations, requiring limited operating hours, no placement within 100 feet of a licensed restaurant or food service facility, and requiring the trucks to move from their location every night, have drawn protests from several truck operators.

Once the Planning Board takes action on the proposed ordinance, it will go before the City Commission for final approval. But the Planning Board voted unanimously at their Oct. 16 meeting to put the issue off until their next meeting, on Nov. 20, so that Planning Board Chairman Richard Klitenick, who was absent from Thursday’s meeting, could weigh in.

“There’s no urgency in this and I know that our chairman expressed a lot of interest in this particular matter and it’s very important,” said Planning Board Commissioner James Gilleran.

After the vote to postpone, several people sitting in the audience who had planned on speaking during the public comment portion, left.

“That takes care of the gallery, then,” said Vice Chairman Sam Holland as he watched people leave the Old City Hall auditorium.

One of the people who was waiting to speak was Eli Pancamo, owner of Garbo’s Grill, a four-year-old food truck serving fish tacos and burritos and a Korean barbeque dish that was featured on “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” on the Food Network. Pancamo said he was not upset about the delay in the Planning Board hearing.

“I think they’re taking some time and that’s good. They need more information. Hopefully, they’ll use us or me to talk to,” he said, adding, “They may not know what we do and what we have to go through.”

Pancamo said he is also working on creating a food truck association for Key West truck operators.

“That way we can have a voice as a group. If there is a battle, we’ll fight it together. Any issue around food trucks affects us all,” he said.

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