CITY COUNCIL AGENDA ITEM
ACTION REQUESTED:
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Provide direction regarding the upcoming Downtown Vending Permit cycle.
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DEPARTMENT: Transportation, Engineering and Development
SUBMITTED BY: Allison Laff, AICP, Deputy Director
BOARD/COMMISSION REVIEW:
Not required.
BACKGROUND:
The current downtown mobile vending program, as adopted per Section 3-7-11 (Downtown Food Vendor Regulations), was administered in FY2012 and 2013. In early 2013, the Downtown Advisory Commission (DAC) discussed the existing vending program based on staff concerns, including low/inconsistent vendor participation, difficult vending locations, and vendor preference towards nighttime vending operations. DAC recommended modifications to the existing program, including the elimination of 2 vending locations and extension of the existing permits for Joey's Red Hots and John's Rib House through the end of 2013. During the extension period, DAC noted the importance of re-establishing expectations with existing vendors regarding participation/consistency, product, and cleanliness.
At the conclusion of the extension period, DAC noted that the program appeared to be working better than it had previously, recommended a permanent reduction in the number of available vending locations from 4 to 2, and agreed that a competitive bid process should continue to be used to select vendors moving forward (RFQ). City Council concurred with DAC's recommendations on December 17, 2013.
For the 2015-2016 downtown vending program, the City received 3 vending applications from John's Rib House, Little Jimmy's Italian Ice, and Joey's Red Hots. An interview panel comprised of City staff, a Downtown Naperville Alliance representative, and a Downtown Advisory Commission representative recommended issuance of a downtown vending permit to John's Rib House for the Central Parking Facility location and the issuance of permits to both Joey's Red Hots and Jimmy's Italian Ice to share the Main Street vending ...
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