Hearing on food truck regulations scheduled for March 6

The Hyde County Board of Commissioners will hold a public hearing at 6 p.m. March 6, during their regular monthly meeting, on a proposed change to the Ocracoke Development Ordinance (ODO) involving outdoor sales, food trucks and parking.

The meeting will be held in the Hyde County Government Center, Multi-Use Room, and the Ocracoke Community Center.

It also will be streamed live on the Hyde County Public Information Facebook page for those who cannot attend in person.

Since last year, the Ocracoke Advisory Planning Committee has grappled with the fact that some of the food trucks on the island have placed picnic tables outside, which invite customers to sit and linger.

Does that make them a restaurant, some local restaurateurs have asked.  

If so, they need adequate parking (one parking space for every four-top), the same as all the other fixed-site restaurants do.

The board looked at other food truck ordinances around the region and suggests some modifications to the ODO:

It would add “food truck, food stand” to the outdoor sales section of the ordinance and would add the following descriptions, which are verbatim from the Hyde County notice:

Food truck. A mobile, licensed vehicle or trailer equipped with facilities for cooking and selling food use that satisfies local and state regulations for health and sanitation standards.

Food stand. Any free-standing non-residential structure that is a food establishment that prepares or serves food and does not provide indoor seating facilities for customers to use while eating or drinking.

Along with requiring the addition of trash cans, the following changes also are suggested:

• Grandfathered uses. Outdoor sales establishments in existence on the approval date of this amendment and subsequent amendments shall be exempt from sections of this amendment as follows:
  • Parking. All regulated outdoor sales establishments shall designate at least two four readily accessible parking places with one additional parking space required for every four outdoor seating spaces provided by the outdoor sales establishment. The designated parking places shall be kept available for customer parking during hours of operation. Such designated parking places shall not reduce the available parking of another business or residence such that it may fall below its parking requirements as set out in this article. If the designated parking spaces are on land which does not belong to the owner of the outdoor sales establishment, a letter of agreement from the landowner shall verify the designation.

(m) All outdoor sales establishments including food trucks, food stands, kiosks or similar structures shall provide a trash receptacle and is responsible for disposing of all trash associated with the operation of the outdoor sales establishment.

Presubmitted comments are welcome and may be mailed to Public Comment ODO Hearing at P.O. Box 188, Swan Quarter, NC 27885, emailed to public-comment@hydecountync.gov or by leaving a voicemail at 252-926-5288.

Public comment will also be taken in person at the hearing.