Port Moody already enjoys a bounty of food trucks, especially along Brewers Row where the rolling kitchens often park on weekends to feed beer enthusiasts.
Now a city councillor wants to see food carts added to the curbside culinary mix.
In a report, Coun. Steve Milani says food carts will add to Port Moody’s “funky vibe by providing a fun culinary experience to those who venture out to explore the city.”
Milani suggests such carts, that can offer up anything from hot dogs to crepes to popsicles and roasted chestnuts, would be especially welcome at public locations where people like to gather, like the Queens Street plaza and Rocky Point Park.
“Mobile food carts would add an additional dimension to the experience, enticing more people to walk around and explore this beautiful city,” Milani said in his report, adding Port Moody could model its food cart program after a similar initiative in North Vancouver.
There, food carts in approved locations must operate at least five hours a day for five days out of seven per week, weather permitting, during the spring and summer months. Operators have to keep their site clean, provide their own independent sources of power and potable water and comply with all health authority and fire safety guidelines, as well as hold a city business license for each cart.
Coquitlam has eight locations where food carts are permitted to operate, four of them at Evergreen Line SkyTrain stations in the Town Centre area, one on Poirier Street across from the Sport and Leisure Complex and another behind the Home Depot on United Boulevard.
They’re allowed to sell food and beverages, as well as merchandise like flowers or newspapers. Each cart must pay an annual license fee of $1,000 in addition to a city business license, submit a damage deposit of the same amount and pay for any parking fees, as well as provide proof of insurance. They mus also meet health authority and fire regulations.
Council will consider whether to task staff with creating a food cart policy for Port Moody at its meeting Tuesday.
