For those of you who have visited Portland recently, you probably have noticed that Portland has a vibrant and thriving street food scene. It's hard to miss since over 580 food carts have popped up in empty lots throughout the city. When Abbie and I visited Portland last week, we were immediately impressed with the diversity of foods being served. Everything from Thai, to Vietnamese, to mini donuts, hot dogs, tacos, pulled pork, roast beef, and much more are offered within a 2 block area in downtown Portland. We made one circle to survey the offerings, and after a quick second walk around the block, I couldn't wait to unwrap my findings. My duck confit baguette from Addy's Sandwich Bar melted in my mouth with duck fat flavor while my poached chicken with rice was so good it warped me back to the streets of Bangkok.As a Seattle resident, I can only look at Portland's street food scene with envy, and I stare at vacant lots, sidewalks, and curbsides here in Seattle with nothing but wishful thinking. But our wishes might soon come true. Seattle is currently considering proposals to pilot a street food scene right here in Seattle, including here on Capitol Hill as soon as spring or summer!Current law limits Seattle street vendors to sell only hotdogs, espresso, popcorn, and flowers and are not allowed to setup within 200 feet of any parks. Mobile food trucks like Marination are currently only allowed to sell at construction sites or on private property. They aren't able to park on the street or public sidewalk to sell food. These restrictions are why Seattle's street food scene is in it's current state.The city of Seattle has examined Portland's street food scene and has found that it brings many benefits to the community.• Food vendors attract foot traffic to commercial districts, which means increased sales and a more vibrant retail business overall.
• Food vendors bring positive activity to the street and add a festive, people-oriented feel that improves public safety. Food vendors provide a window into many diverse cultures, introducing people to new foods and to the pleasures of spending time in the public space of the city.
• Food vending can be an ideal first business. For many immigrant and refugee communities, food vending offers a point of entry to the economy and a way to learn the food service industry.There are some concerns, however, about what the street food movement may bring. Local restaurants feel threatened that food carts and trucks might cut into their own profits. Questions of how to limit litter, garbage and over crowded sidewalks are also a concern. And of course, enforcement of hygiene and food safety is paramount.Looking ahead to the future, here are some key components to what the city has in mind in its proposals to change law regarding street food.• Diversify types of food that can be sold from food carts - This would allow street food vendors to serve more than just hot dogs, espresso, popcorn, and flowers. The Health Department is considering expanding this list to allow assembly of pre-cooked ingredients and other foods on a case-by-case basis.• Create a Street Use Permit for mobile trucks. This would allow the Seattle Department of Transportation to issue street use permits so mobile trucks could operate in designated spaces.• Create setbacks from restaurants and eliminate required 200' park setback. Since street vendors have been shown to improve park safety, the 200' park setback would be eliminated. Also, vendors would have to setup a minimum of 50' away from brick and mortar restaurants in order to protect their businesses.These proposals are to be piloted in Seattle's central neighborhoods, including on Broadway in Capitol Hill to help fill the void of Light Rail construction.Gary Johnson, The Department of Planning and Development coordinator that is leading this project, believes that the above proposals will be submitted to the City Council within a couple weeks. The council will likely take a couple of months to consider it and Johnson hopes that the new regulations will be in place by late spring/early summer.So whether you're going out for a quick lunch break or looking for grub between bar stops on a Saturday night, we may soon have a lot more to choose from than just cream cheese or no cream cheese on our hotdog.Late spring/early summer can't come soon enough.
