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CHRISTEL YARDLEY / Things
Street food vendors are ubiquitous at events like the Gourmet in the Gardens gatherings in the Rhododendron Garden in Hamilton Gardens, and will now be able to trade at events downtown. (File photo)
Food trucks, food carts, and mobile shops can now sell their wares to hungry Hamiltonians in the central city, but only at big events.
Earlier this year, the Hamilton City Council solicited public input on proposals to change what has now been called the Commerce in Public Places Policy, as part of a scheduled review.
The consultation process included discussions with central city businesses and food truck operators and yielded 90 submissions, 77 percent of which in favor of allowing them to operate.
On Tuesday, the council unanimously decided to approve policy changes to allow food trucks and mobile stores to operate, as long as it is as part of a larger permitted event, and not one based solely on the sale of food.
They would also be limited to operating only during the hours for which the event was allowed.
The policy also changes the area covered by the policy, expanding it to include the area between London St and Knox St, and between Angelsea St and the Waikato River.
While the policy is intended to add vitality to the central city, the council also took into account the views of existing businesses in the central city.
A review of the policy and its benefits for the central city is scheduled for 2023.
