Thursday, December 22, 2011

Mobile Food Truck Service Still Not Allowed On Roosevelt Island Says RIOC Real Estate Committee But Policy Guidelines Being Developed For Next Real Estate Committee Meeting


You Tube Video of Food Truck Frenzy

As reported previously, the issue of Mobile Food Trucks such as Luke's Lobster being allowed to operate on Roosevelt Island was an agenda item at today's Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) Board of Directors Real Estate Committee meeting (audio web cast of the meeting will be here within a few days). Here what happened:


You Tube Video Of Roosevelt Island Mobile Food Cart Discussion During RIOC Real Estate Committee Meeting

More information on NYC mobile food truck service available at New York Street Food.

UPDATE 12/23 - The answer to the question previously posed whether RIOC believes it has the right to ban food trucks on Roosevelt Island public streets which have all appropriate licenses from NYC and can provide service to any other NYC neighborhood is yes, at least according to the Real Estate Committee. The Committee was unsure where that authority came from though RIOC's attorney believes that the RIOC NY State enabling legislation provides for that power. The attorney noted he would check to see if his impression is correct.

RIOC Real Estate Committee chair Howard Polivy hopes to have a Mobile Food Truck policy established by the January RIOC Board meeting.

Gothamist reports on problems with Food Truck vendors in Hoboken and New York Street Food reports on the Roosevelt Island Food Truck Controversy and shows us what we are missing by banning Luke's Lobster.

Luke's Lobster Roll Image From New York Street Food

7 comments :

Mark Lyon said...

Thanks for the video.  I'm incredibly disappointed that I could not break free from work to come to the meeting in person.  I hope that a working group is formed and that they accept community input.  I will be there.

Adrian Schnell said...

Why are the ice cream truck allowed but not the lobster roll truck??  What's the difference?  Seems fair to allow both!

YetAnotherRIer said...

You know what the RIRA should do? They should hire a lawyer to do some pro-bono stuff for us. I am very sure if somebody would step up and sue the RIOC for overreaching its authority and see what a court opinion about this would be we could set some precedence for future decisions.

I am not quite happy with the idea that the RIOC may put out an RP and therefore kind of set the vendors that are allowed on RI in stone for a certain number of years. The beauty of street vending is that if the population doesn't like it they won't come back and somebody else would fill its spot. It should stay fluent and dynamic. Don't give out only as many permits as they think there are set spots for vending. The PSD will have the last say in if they allow a truck to stay at a certain spot or not.

UPPababy Vista Strollers said...

It is so unfair. The tourists may miss out on a certain aspect in touring Roosevelt Island...

zoilalexie said...

PSD has no say in who is allowed.  They only enforce who isn't. 

If RIRA could even afford a lawyer, with the money Sherie & Matt shake out of companies that come here, maybe they could try to sue for vendor trucks to sell here.  ut, then the private fund would be depleted.

I say send Judy Birdy in to speak to RIOC.  She seems to have the "ins" as she gets included in everything they do anyway.

Katie Cunningham said...

I agree that the beauty of street vending is that it's fluent and dynamic and that a set permit for a specific time period would take that very important element away. I cannot help but be amused @ how scardy cat everyone is regarding food trucks. These are real businesses that are licensed, inspected and permitted that are owned and operated, by & large, by people who really give a crap and who provide a genuine, quality product. They would own brick and mortar restaurants/cafes if the rents weren't astronomical. It's the chains that scare me - they couldn't care less about getting fined by the health dept.

Westviewer said...

Leave it to RIOC to enforce the Roosevelt Island Rule:  If it's on the island, it has to be the worst of its kind; better yet, make sure it's NOT on the island at all.