Mobil Food Truck Service Still Banned From Roosevelt Island But New Policy Guidelines To Allow Food Trucks While Protecting Existing Restaurants Being Considered By RIOC - What's Next, Banning Fresh Direct Grocery Deliveries To Protect Gristedes Supermarket?

You Tube Video of Save the NYC Food Truck

Are Roosevelt Island residents any closer to enjoying the same fast, convenient and edible offerings from mobile food truck vendors (Luke's Lobster's Rolls) as residents of other New York City neighborhoods? That was one of the Agenda items discussed at the January 11 Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) Board of Directors Real Estate Committee meeting.

Well, the answer is that the subject of Roosevelt Island Mobile Food Truck service is still being studied and evaluated by RIOC. During the well attended RIOC Real Estate Committee meeting we learned:

• Mobile Food Trucks do not need any additional licenses or permits other than those granted by New York City to operate in Battery Park City and that Battery Park City defers to NYC rules and regulations regarding Mobile Food Trucks on its streets,
• RIOC believes it has the authority to require Mobile Food Trucks with NYC licenses to obtain additional permits from RIOC even thought the mobile food trucks can operate in other NYC neighborhoods,
• Riverwak Bar & Grill/Nonno's Focacceria Pizza owner Alphonse DiCioccio objects to mobile food trucks on Roosevelt Island though co-owner Jonathan Hoo acknowledges that additional food choices on the Island would be a good thing, just not too close to his restaurant,
• Some RIOC Directors expressed the view that existing restaurants need to be protected from the mobile food trucks while other Directors think that competition will sort things out,
• a resident made the excellent comparison of banning/restricting mobile food trucks on Roosevelt Island for the benefit of protecting existing restaurants from competition to banning Fresh Direct Grocery Deliveries in order to protect Gristedes,
• Main Street Master Lease Agreement allows Hudson/Related to decide whether to allow Mobile Food Trucks/Street Vendors in the area from Blackwell House to Motorgate but not in Southtown or other locations on Roosevelt Island and
• the Real Estate Committee will meet in a few weeks to make a decision

Here's a video excerpt of the first 25 minutes of the meeting



and an audio webcast of the whole meeting including additional Agenda item discussion of Roosevelt Island community space which appears to be limited to Sportspark.



The community space discussion focused on the Roosevelt Island Islamic Community seeking approximately 2,000 square feet for a mosque and the difficulty they are encountering finding suitable space for its specific requirements.

Another item discussed was the Child School's offer to lease the second floor space of 504 Main Street from Main Street Master Leaseholder Hudson/Related as a dance studio and theater in the round. The first floor space at 504 is planned to be used as a new location for the Roosevelt Island Public Library.

An obvious question arises, thought not asked at the meeting, is whether having a theater and dance studio over a Public Library is the most appropriate use of the second floor space at 504. It was also reported during the meeting that the space occupied by the Roosevelt Island Youth Program may be taken over by Urban American and moved somewhere else within Roosevelt Landings/Eastwood.

The final item discussed was the Island House privatization/ground lease extension issue which was to be in Executive Session closed to the public. However, before the committee went into Executive Session, Roosevelt Island Residents Association (RIRA) President Matt Katz surprised everyone in attendance by asking to read an email Mr. Katz received from former RIOC President Steve Shane. Mr. Shane's email read:

As I follow along with the proceedings on RI, an item of special interest has just caught my eye, namely the Real Estate Committee agenda item calling for executive session to discuss the Island House privatization. This issue has far reaching consequences for IH and WV, and indeed for the entire social political construct of the island. Not merely an economic matter. There is no excuse for "executive session" on this piece of the public's business. No individual privacy rights are involved (cf employment matters) or negotiating tactics or strategy (cf litigation).

The Executive Session began soon thereafter without the public.

More on mobile food trucks from New York Street Food.