Food trucks may be banned from Brady Street
Food trucks may soon be banned from Brady St.
The Milwaukee Common Council on Tuesday unanimously approved a proposal to ban food trucks from the popular east side street.
The plan, which was sponsored by Ald. Nik Kovac, now heads to Mayor Tom Barrett for his approval.
It's unclear whether Barrett plans to sign it.
Kovac insisted he has nothing against food trucks, and would never try to ban them throughout his entire district.
But the alderman added that he has received a number of complaints from Brady Street Business Improvement District members in recent weeks about a proliferation of food trucks parking directly in front of restaurants.
"I think it's perfectly reasonable to tell food trucks that are essentially in competition with brick-and-mortar restaurants that have made investments — not just in their brick and mortar, but in the city's brick and mortar — that it's really not fair for someone to come park and siphon off their business, directly in front," Kovac said after Tuesday's meeting.
The proposal was added as an amendment to a broader ordinance about parking regulations. As a result, there was never a public hearing held about the plan.
Kovac said he did hold a meeting with a number of Brady St. businesses who were concerned about the trucks. Problems with the trucks included not just competition but noise and exhaust from the generators, he said.
"They really can change the ambiance of the street," Kovac said.
Under the proposal, food trucks would be banned every day of the week on E. Brady St. from N. Humboldt Ave. to N. Franklin Place.
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Kovac noted that food trucks have been banned on other streets in the city, adding that former Ald. Joe Dudzik tried unsuccessfully to ban them throughout his district.
"I see this as possibly happening again in other commercial corridors," he said.
Kovac added Wednesday that he's open to changing the plan if there's widespread opposition.
"You know, if there's a huge public outcry against this, I'm always open to revisiting it," Kovac said. "Every decision we make is reversible based on public comment."
