City of Powell River council stepped back from allocating a new street vending location during the October 4 meeting.
Council had previously passed the initial readings of a bylaw amendment that would have permitted street vending at the Wharf at Westview. Staff had recommended allowing mobile carts on the wharf section that leads to the fishing pier.
Council held a public hearing about the amendment before the council meeting. BC Ferries had written a letter to the city stating the street vending area was located within its leased area. The letter also stated the location will interfere with traffic when the new trestle is built next year.
Cleve Hamilton, who holds one of three street vending permits issued by the city, spoke at the public hearing. He said he did not like the location and preferred being allowed to use the grassy area at the front of the Wharf at Westview. He said he actually had his food cart there during the last long weekend. “It was awesome,” he said. “It was people coming off the boats and I had City of Powell River literature we were handing out to the tourists.”
Elaine Teichgraber, who operates the food cart with Hamilton, also spoke in favour of the grassy area. “We’d be more highly visible from people just driving along Marine [Avenue],” she said. “It would be a lot closer to people in their cars parked waiting for the ferry...And the boaters in the south harbour, the transient boaters, would see us right there. It’s a way better spot.”
Carlos Felip, manager of development services, also spoke and recommended that councillors rescind the first two readings of the bylaw amendment, given the input from BC Ferries and the permit holders who don’t like that location. He said some merchants had commented that the rules should be revised to make it more competitive. “They feel they are paying for a building, for taxes and so on, while users don’t,” he said. “Faced with those three things, we really need to take a much more in-depth look at the bylaw.”
Councillors agreed and passed a motion rescinding the first two readings of the zoning bylaw amendment.
