PEORIA, Ill. – The Peoria City Council has made it easier for food trucks and carts in the downtown area.
On Tuesday night, the council unanimously voted to approve changes to the city code regarding food vendors. The topic was originally slated for a vote on March 10th, but the meeting was canceled that evening due to severe weather concerns.
The changes include waiving fees for this year and next, allowing two additional locations to operate at the 300 block of Hamilton and the 100 block of NE Adams, and increasing the number of licenses from three to five.
Council documents state that the city received limited applications during the COVID pandemic in 2020 and 2021. Asst. City Manager Kimberly Richardson says interest in applications for licenses also went down with the Adams and Jefferson two-way construction project and the remodeling of the courthouse plaza.
Richardson told the council there have been new inquiries, and thinks an increase in licenses could occur in the future. But she says the current goal is to increase food options downtown to try and entice downtown workers and residents to stay there for lunch and other meals.
“There’s not a lot of options for those businesses, as well as those employees downtown who are leaving the area to go to lunch,” Richardson said.
Richardson says another possible effect is showing potential businesses what foot traffic downtown could look like.
Mayor Rita Ali says she has talked to business leaders and representatives about the potential of more food trucks and carts in the downtown area. She noted that any reason to incentivize them to return can lead to more activity in the downtown area.
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