Argyle residents won’t be seeing permanent food trucks around town any time soon following Town Council’s decision to heavily restrict where they’re permitted.
The approval was made at a special Town Council meeting on Thursday, April 2, following the Town’s Planning and Zoning recommendation that was made unanimously just a day before, at a meeting on Wednesday, April 1.
It will give guidance for future food truck or other mobile food vendor applications that might come to the town.
According to council’s approved standard, food truck courts won’t be allowed at all and food trucks will only be allowed temporarily in areas zoned community retail and business park.
Some exceptions include special events, like the Argyle Farmers Market, and youth sporting events hosted at town parks and public or private school property.
Originally, town staff proposed allowing food truck courts and permanent food trucks in community retail, business parks and planned developments. As well, temporary food trucks would have been permitted for up to 60 days at a time.
“It’s not specific to zoning, it might be more of, as a community, do we want food trucks as a whole,” said commissioner David Snell at P&Z’s meeting. “We continue to claim we’re trying to keep Argyle rural and this is probably not a step to keeping it rural.”
There are no business parks within town limits and the only area zoned for community retail is the 141-acre Heath Tract development at the corner of FM 407 and I-35W, which is in the process of being changed to a planned development.
Even within a planned development, a food truck would have to apply for a permit and would only be allowed to set up shop for a maximum of two days in a parking lot that has enough parking to accommodate business.
“We’re selective about what we want to come here,” said commissioner Marilyn Lewis.
The food truck wouldn’t be allowed to acquire another permit for the next 30 days, which was lowered from 60 by town council.
“I think 60 days is way too long,” said council member Gustav Svehla. “It’s very limiting if you’re trying to attract some business.”
Mayor Pro Tem Cynthia Hermann agreed, which led the council to lowering it to 30.
“Everybody loves a good food truck, I don’t want to see them here all the time,” she said. “But I do agree, it seems a bit restrictive.”
The ordinance was passed unanimously.
A proposition to create standards for food trucks came after Akshya Foods applied to set up a food trailer along Hwy 377 serving Indian-style cuisine.
With no defined standards, the town considered it similar to a restaurant, but ran into issues when trying to figure out parking and emergency access.
The plan was eventually withdrawn by the applicants to allow the fire department time to properly evaluate the project, but with the updated standards, it will likely have to go a different direction.
According to the Town, the state of Texas will take over the health inspection side of things, so it will be out of local municipalities’ control as far as health certificates go.
