The city of Lorena is looking into whether it should allow food trucks within city limits.
Currently, the city does not allow food trucks because it does not have an ordinance, permit fee, application fee or packet for food trucks to operate in the city.
"Right now the ordinance doesn't really account for them. It doesn't say we can't have them, but it just doesn't say you can have them," Lorena City Manager Joseph Pace said.
Lorena City Manager Joseph Pace said he started to look into the requirements to allow food trucks in the city after the Lorena Economic Development Corporation asked his office if the city would consider allowing food trucks.
The letter from Lorena Economic Development Corporation Chairman David Anderton states:
Currently, the city does not allow food trucks to operate within the City Limits. However, in recent years, there have been significant improvements in the food truck industry, in the technology, quality of service, and quality of products available from these food truck entrepreneurs.
The Lorena EDC would like to encourage the Lorena City Council to revisit their Food Truck related ordinance to possibly allow the modern boutique food trucks to operate within the city as they do in Waco and other cities.
Pace presented some information regarding his research to the city council on March 20. He said council members asked him to identify spots for food trucks and look into the requirements for allowing food trucks.
"Lorena is a small community. We are made up by 1,644 people. We have just a few restaurants, and like I said before food trucks could fill that gap until we can get more restaurants in Lorena, and once we do that, food trucks would be viable to stay once the restaurants come online," Pace said. "They could jump off, get something to eat and continue to Waco or Dallas/Ft. Worth area."
Pace said he has identified a lot to the right of city hall and inside the McBrayer City Park.
"We are centrally located and a lot of traffic between Austin and Dallas comes through every day. People want to stop; our access is so on and off here," Pace said.
Taran Williams, who visits Lorena frequently, said his family doesn't go to Lorena to eat because there are not many restaurant options. Williams said he thinks having food trucks in the small town city would be beneficial.
"I think it's a nice addition. I've lived in a couple cities here and abroad. Whenever there is trucks, it gives you different alternatives to eat and the nice thing for the food truck side is that they're mobile; they can come and go," Williams said.
Texas Cheese House owner Scott Simon said he would also support food trucks coming to the area.
"I think a lot of the local people would consider eating here instead of going into Waco," Simon said.
Several residents News Channel 25 spoke with said they think food trucks would be great for the city. However, they said they thought the food trucks may not be profitable in Lorena.
Pace plans to present this idea to the city council in May.The council will ultimately decide whether it would like to create an ordinance to allow food trucks.
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