WATERVILLE — Members of the Waterville City Planning Commission scrutinized plans for a food truck court on Kennedy Memorial Boulevard on Tuesday, especially considering the fact that the city does not have a food truck court ordinance.
There is a food truck ordinance, but because the new courthouse is proposed to allow for parking for up to 10 food trucks, planners wanted to carefully consider whether there would be enough space to accommodate the trucks, as well as parking for customers and employees and a place for customers to sit and eat.
It will be the city’s first food truck court, and officials acknowledged that owner Jampo “Popo” Lu will probably have to work out some early kinks once he gets going.
“This is something new,” said Jeff Allen, an engineer with AE Hodsdon Consulting Engineers, who represented the project on Tuesday. “It’s actually the first food truck court I’ve done.”
The plans he presented were considered an informal pre-application review. If the board meets with a quorum on July 23, he and Lew plan to return then to present a final plan.
Lu, 38, and her husband, Lingjie Gu, 32, are opening Popo’s Food Truck Court in a vacant lot at 121 Kennedy Memorial Drive. They plan to serve traditional Chinese food and rent out the space to other food truck owners.
The couple own a half-acre parcel on Kennedy Memorial Drive, as well as an adjacent lot behind it on Merrifield Avenue, which they plan to use as parking for food truck staff, bringing the total land area to about 1.25 acres.
Allen said food trucks will be stationed around the perimeter of the property facing Kennedy Memorial Road, with vehicles entering and exiting only on that road. Water and sewer will be connected to a small building that will be built at the front of the property. The courthouse will close at 8 p.m., which is required per the covenant zoning in which the property is located.
Board President Samantha Burdick said she has concerns about maneuverability in and out of the parking lot as trucks will be on the site at different times. She recommended having no more than 10 food trucks to fill all of the space needs. Like other board members, Board President Burdick said she likes the idea of having a food court but has a lot of questions, such as if food trucks want to leave the site and have to go around other trucks.
Allen said the distance between the trucks will be about eight feet, and the trucks will be moved off the site by themselves or by tow. This will only be done when there are no customers there, he said.
Burdick and others told Allen they would need to review various features of the site plan, including picnic space, when he returns next month.
Sen. Hillary Koch said she doesn’t support having picnic areas on the grounds because it would encourage people to sit down and eat, which should encourage them to buy food to take home.
But Burdick, while respectful of Koch’s position, said if he was meeting friends for a meal, he would want to spend time at the venue. Member David Johnson agreed, saying he lives within walking distance of the venue and wouldn’t want to have to buy food and walk home.
Koch also questioned the noise generated by the location, likening the sounds of food trucks to the noise of a fair.
But Lu said the electricity would be provided to truck drivers so they wouldn’t have to use noisy generators. Allen said he plans to put up a fence on the right side of the property to block headlights from neighbors, which he said should help block noise. He said he might also put up a fence on the left side of the property.
Member Tom Despres asked if large delivery trucks would be allowed on the premises, to which Lu responded that there would not be any and vendors would be bringing food onto the premises.
Lou said he doesn’t want to use the lot facing Maryfield for food trucks because he’s sensitive to the needs of his neighbors and doesn’t want to cause a nuisance.
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